


Specimen Number Seven

by LightningSupernova



Series: 7 [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Blood and Injury, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Original Character(s), Physical Abuse, Post-Episode: s02e19 Alex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-01-31 02:18:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12666261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightningSupernova/pseuds/LightningSupernova
Summary: A woman, beaten and broken, ends up in a field with no memories of who she is and how she got there. She soon discovers she's not completely human. Adding to her fear and uncertainty, she discovers a military group is trying to capture her, so she flees to National city to stay out of their hands. What will happen when she encounters Supergirl and the gang? And what of the green eyed beauty she just saved?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first try at supergirl fan fiction. Actually my first try at fiction in over 10 years or so … So be gentle :) I will try to stay canon as much as I can, though I might slip here and there to fit the story. This is set somewhere after episode 2-19 Alex. Only the Daxamite invasion isn’t happening. Let’s just say Rhea didn’t go all murderous and left earth with her husband. This fic is very OC centered. I love creating my own characters. Though I do ship SuperCorp, this one is OC/Lena Luthor. It just turned out that way. There will be Sanvers and Kara is with Mon-El sort off (though only mentioned, Mon-El is a dick and I will not have him in this story!) Beware of Angst, violence (more than canon) and physical and mental abuse. I’ll add in some fluff to counter that all though!
> 
> Please let me know what you think, by dropping me a line in the comments! It’s also not BETA read or anything and English isn’t my first language. If you see big mistakes that can’t be ignored, please give me a yell. I can be reached by email also:
> 
> Lightningsupernova2017@gmail.com
> 
> UPDATE: I have found a BETA, thank you Rebellion_Bear!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter now BETA read, thank you Rebellion_Bear!

The pain was the first thing breaking through unconsciousness, right before the cold and wet. Dark, deep blue eyes slowly opened, blinking at the invading light. A low moaning cry of pain sounded as the figure, a woman, dragged her arm from under her body and clawed at the dirt. She tried to push her upper body up but failed, dropping back facedown on the ground. With a growl, she tried again and managed to get on her hands and knees. She took in the field surrounding her. It was grassland all around, not a building or a road in sight. The sun was up behind the clouds, a slow drizzle of rain coming down. The woman got to her feet—bare feet, she noted. Her clothes, more rags, hung ripped and dirty around her thin frame. And they were soaked  through. She shivered and swayed. Instinct took over, and the woman started to move, one trembling step at a time. 

It was agony. Every step shooting pain through her ribcage and back. She lifted her shirt and found semi-dried blood being washed away by the rain. There were no injuries though, only several scars, fresh scars. The woman noticed markings on her wrists. Raw skin and old scar tissue looped around her wrists and lower arms. She looked closer at the inside of her left arm and rubbed some of the dirt away. There was something written there, grey and faded. Letters and numbers. She squinted and could make out S7-A46579. The woman frowned. What did that mean?

The field gave way to a flat dirt road, and the change in terrain tripped her up. She stumbled, dropping her to her knees. Fresh, new pain came in a wave, and the woman was starting to panick. Something told her she needed to flee, to escape. She pushed herself back to her feet, bleeding, managed to take two more steps before she dropped again. Hard. Blacking out. She never heard the truck approaching in the distance.

 

* * *

 

 

Supergirl landed smoothly on the balcony of the DEO building. She had a smile on her face and practically skipped inside, having already stopped a robbery, put out a fire and saved two cats from trees … and it wasn’t even noon yet. It was proving to be a productive day. But first, time for lunch. She rounded the corner towards Alex’s lab, smiling at everyone greeting her, and found her sister peering through a microscope. She bounced inside “Hey Alex!”

Alex, startled, bumps her head on the microscope, “Kara!!” She grabs at her face and tried to give her sister an annoyed look, “don’t sneak up on me like that.” But her look melted away at the puppy eyes Kara threw her way. She could never stay angry at her sister for long, “You’re cheerful this morning … even more so than usual.” Kara smiled and hopped on a workbench, her legs dangling down. “I just have a feeling it’s going to be a good day. The sun is out and there’s kittens and people to save … and food, first food.” Alex laughed at that, her sister and her super metabolism. She stood and pushed her chair back under the table, “Come on then, let’s raid the mess.”  The two sisters left the lab and walked side by side through the corridors.

“So … you doing anything tonight?” Kara finally asked.

“Uhm … yeah, you know … meeting Maggie for pool and drinks …” 

Kara smiled, she was still surprised how cool and collected Agent Alex Danvers started to blush and stammer at every mention of her girlfriend. Kara thought it was cute. 

“You’re welcome to join us,” Alex continued, running a hand through her hair. 

Kara shook her head, “Thanks, but not tonight. I’m meeting Lena for dinner. Been a while since we hung out. Tomorrow?” She really wanted to spend as much time with her sister as possible. It was only a few weeks ago that she almost lost her. When Alex smiled, Kara pulled her into a hug, “love you”. 

Alex tightened her grip, “Yeah, me too.” They stood there for a long moment, both needing the contact.

Sisterly moment over, Alex pushed Kara into the mess hall. “Let’s eat …. Just try to leave something for the rest of us, ok?” Kara’s best ‘evil’ laugh echoed through the hallway.

 

* * *

 

 

When blue eyes opened again, the woman was lying on her back on a pallet in what looked like a shed. She sat up, too quick, and groaned at the pain in her body. Looking down, she saw that she was still dressed in the rags, but covered with thick blankets. A creak of the floorboards made her whip her head to the left, and she was startled to see a man sitting there in a chair by a fire. It was an elderly man, with long graying hair tied in a ponytail and a long grey beard, smoking a pipe. He held up his hands showing he meant no harm, “easy there …” he said gently, “You’re ok.” When she began to calm down he continued, “Found ya on the road this morning, thought ya were dead … Name’s Chris.” 

The woman stared at him with big eyes, knowing she was expected to give her name. Problem was that she didn’t know what to say. Then she remembered the numbers on her arm, “S … Seven … I am Seven.” She said, her voice rough and raw. 

Chris lifted an eyebrow, clearly not buying the name, but decided to leave it for now. He stood and pointed at a bunch of clothes on a chair. “They’re my son’s, they should about fit you. You’re tall enough anyway. I also got some old boots here. There’s warm water and some towels by the fire, feel free to wash up. I’ll be next door in the main house. I’ll prepare some food for you.” With that, he walked out, closing the door behind him.

The woman, Seven, stood slowly and walked carefully over to the fireplace. She checked the cauldron standing in front of it and found it, as promised, filled to the brim with tepid water. Next to it she found a stack of towels and a washcloth. She carefully raised her arms and pulled her shirt off, hissing as the movement pulled at sore muscles. She wet the cloth and started wiping the dirt from her arms and chest. Her eyes widened at every scar revealed. A long line ran from her right hip and across her chest, and she could feel the ridge of it ending just below her left ear. There were stitch marks at the edges, like she was cut open and sewn back together. Three lines ran over her abdomen, like claw marks, going round her side to end somewhere on her back. Seven knew there was no way a human would ever survive such injuries. 

She grabbed a shirt from the pile of clothing and pulled it over her head. Then she removed what was left of her trousers and cleaned up. When she reached her knees with the cloth she frowned—didn’t she fall on them just hours ago? She remembered the feeling of blood running down her legs, thick and warm. But when she cleaned the blood away, she found nothing. 

Filing that information away for later, Seven finished washing and got dressed. She found an old but sturdy pair of faded jeans to go with the faded black shirt. Both hung loose on her frame but were long enough for her lanky limbs. The socks and boots fit relatively well, and she even found an old jacket. She hung the used towels across the chairs to dry and ran her fingers through her damp, sandy blond hair. It wasn’t fully washed but had to do for now. She tried to comb as much of the tangles out with her fingers as she could. Thank the gods it was short, barely reaching her ears.

Seven walked out the door. The sun was slowly setting and the rain had stopped. She could see several other building on the property, mostly sheds like the one she’d been in. It was clearly a farm of some sort. To the left, she saw a bigger building, with a porch. Smoke drifted from the chimney. She approached the building and knocked at the door. After a moment it swung open and Chris waved her inside. 

“That looks better,” He said with a grunt and pointed at the small kitchen table. Seven sat down, stiffness making her take it slow,  and watched as Chris returned to his stove. The smell made her mouth water, and soon Chris placed a bowl of steaming stew in front of her. “It’s not as good as what my wife used to make, but it’s filling.”

Seven grabbed the spoon and started to practically inhale the food, she was famished. Chris laughed and refilled her bowl when her spoon scraped the bottom. This time she ate slower and looked at the old man, “thank you.” She said, her voice still soft and timid.

When the second bowl was finished, she put her spoon down and sat up, looking at the man across the table. “You are very kind … I don’t know how to repay you …” 

He held up his hand, “Not necessary. You needed help, was the right thing to do. As I said, those clothes were from my son. They’re way too big for me anyway.” He paused for a moment before carefully continuing,  “So … how did you end up unconscious in my field?”

Seven shook her head, “I don’t know … I can’t remember … anything …” Her eyes dropped down.

“Hm …” Chris rubbed his beard. “I think you best head for the city then. National city is about an hour drive from here. They have some of the best hospitals and doctors in the country. You should go to the police there. Maybe they can help you … remember, I guess” The man said, “why don’t you stay here for the night and I’ll give you a lift in the morning.” 

Chris looked up as he heard cars drive up his road. “Who would that be at this hour?” he said and turned to Seven, “Stay here.” He stood and walked out.

Seven waited for long moments and listened as several car doors slammed. Curious, she stood and walked to the window. There were six big black cars parked in front of the house and several men  got out, all dressed in black and wearing guns, military style guns. She saw Chris with his hands outstretched talking to an unarmed man. She moved closer to the door so she could hear what the conversation was about.

“We tracked her to this location, old man, enough! Where is Specimen 7?!” The unarmed man yelled with a strange accent. Seven moved closer at the sound, that voice, that accent sounded familiar.

“I have no idea what y’all are talking about, sir, it’s just me here,” Chris insisted.

The man clearly had enough and reached down to his belt, pulling a gun, “Fine then.” He motioned at his men. “Search the area, find her!” Then he pointed the gun at Chris and pulled the trigger.

Seven ran outside with a roar “Nooooooooo!” but could only watch as Chris’ body fell to the ground, the bullet tearing through his skull. Seven froze and the men, startled by her sudden appearance, turned their guns at her. Their leader recovered first, “Get her!!” And they stormed forward.

Seven took a step back, but then a strange feeling hammered her chest. Her vision started to cloud over. On instinct, she raised her arms and purple streaks gathered at her fingertips, like lightning bolts. She crossed her arms over her chest and roared. A purple shield appeared in front of her, crackling with energy. Seven threw out her arms and the shield hurled away at a high speed, colliding with the men. They were thrown back brutally, some against the cars, others yards further into the dirt. 

Breathing heavily, Seven was taken aback by the destruction. Some of the men were groaning but already getting back to their feet. This included the leader, who was already up, leaning against the car. His dark eyes focused on Seven. 

She stumbled and closed her eyes as flashes of a memory took over. She saw that man, with his dark eyes, in a bloody white lab coat holding a scalpel, smiling, and Seven felt the fear pouring into her. She opened her eyes and stepped back in terror. By now, almost all the soldiers had regained their footing and were advancing once more. Seven turned, her mind only on escape now. She looked behind her, at the fields in the distance and started running, though she knew she could never outrun them all. But then she got that feeling again and saw purple bolts form  a hole in the sky in front of her. Without thinking, she jumped and disappeared. 

Seconds later, she appeared with a similar small lightning storm in the fields behind the house, far enough for the men to have almost disappeared from view. Seven breathed for a moment and then decided to try that again. With another step, she created a purple lightning storm and vanished once more.

Back at the farm, one of the soldiers turned to his superior, “Do we continue our pursuit, sir?” The man shook his head, “She figured out how to teleport again. We’ll never catch her like that. But she has to stop somewhere to rest sooner or later. For now we regroup. We’ll pick up her trail again and bring tranquilizers.” With that, he got into one of the cars. The soldier turned to the rest of the men, “Back to base!” he yelled and watched as his men do his bidding. Quickly, the cars drove away, leaving only dust and the body of an old man behind.

 

* * *

 

Alex parked her bike next to Maggie’s truck in front of the bar. She turned off the ignition and removed her helmet. Getting off the bike, she hung her helmet on the handlebars, grabbed her keys and walked into the bar.

Maggie wasn’t hard to find. She never was for Alex. It felt like her eyes naturally fell to Maggie’s location the minute she walked into the same room. And by the hundred-watt smile, dimples and all, thrown back at her, the feeling was mutual. 

Alex made her way over to the pool table with long strides and took the beer  Maggie pushed at her. “Hey Danvers,” Maggie drawled and grabbed Alex’s collar to pull her down for a kiss. “Ready to get your ass beaten at pool again?” 

Alex chuckled, “You wish.”

They played several games, Maggie almost winning a couple times. Alex blamed it on the beer, but they both knew that was BS. Alex was just lining up to break their next game as Maggie’s phone started ringing. 

“Crap.” Maggie pulled out her phone, checked the contact and threw Alex an apologetic look. Work calling is never good. She answered her phone, “Sawyer … yeah … ” she sighed and Alex put both her and Maggie’s pool cues back in the rack. “… On my way.” Maggie disconnected the call and looked at her girlfriend. “No rest for the wicked huh?” Alex smiled. 

“Wanna tag along?” Maggie added as she grabbed both their jackets, tossing Alex hers. Alex shrugged into her jacket and placed her arm around Maggie’s shoulders, “Come on detective, let’s go make this city a bit safer.”

Maggie motioned at the bartender to put everything on her tab and the two walked out of the bar, Alex’s arm never letting go.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter now beta read

The restaurant was busy for a Thursday night, as one of the new hot places to be in the city. Waiters hurried around taking orders. It had a modern decor with bright colors and soft loungey music. At one table in the back sat the CEO of L-Corp, Lena Luthor, sipping a glass of red wine. Green eyes followed the waiters bustling about and she smiled. Of course her friend was late. Lena wondered if Kara managed to be on time for anything.

Her smile grew as she spotted the familiar blonde head hurrying through the restaurant, almost colliding twice with waiters. Kara dropped in the free chair across from Lena. She ran her hands over her skirt, straightening it, and pushed her glassed back on her nose. “Hi, Lena., Sorry I’m late.”

“Kara Danvers is never late,” Lena said with a smile in her voice as she grabbed the bottle of wine and poured Kara a glass, refilling her own.

Kara grinned back and gratefully accepted her glass. She hummed in pleasure after the first sip. Her friend knew her wines, that was for sure!

“So, what has my favorite reporter been up to lately?” Lena asked as she handed the menu over to Kara.

Kara’s mind skipped back a couple of weeks, the traumatic experience of Alex being kidnapped still fresh, “Not much, you know … reporting … Hanging with my sister and her girlfriend … You?”  She absently flipped through the menu, thinking about ordering one of everything … Lena already knew she was a good eater anyway.

Lena smiled, “Work. We’re working on new prototypes for small energy-efficient transportation aircrafts … They don’t really work yet, but they will.” She took another sip of wine, “I’m glad you and your sister seem to be getting along again.”

They were interrupted by the waiter coming for their order. Before Kara could say anything, Lena held up her hand, “Just bring us one of everything.” She said and glanced at Kara, an amused gleam shining in her eyes. The waiter opened his mouth a couple of times, before remembering who the woman was before him. The quirks of the rich and famous. He shrugged, “Ok, on its way.”

Kara laughed as she watched him slink back to the kitchens, “You just made his day”

Lena smiled, “I’m sure you’ll make short work of the food. You do have to tell me your secret someday … how those calories just seem to slip away from you.” Her eyes pierced into Kara’s, causing the latter to feel slightly uncomfortable. Kara fought the urge to push her glasses up again. It was moments like these that made her truly wonder if Lena was still in the dark about her identity.

“So …” Kara started with a cough, “I’m glad Alex and I are close again … We … well, something happened a couple of weeks ago …” Her eyes dropped, she had never talked to anyone about what happened. She looked at her hands when she felt Lena cover them with her own, “at the DEO. Alex got into trouble … she … she nearly died. Supergirl and Maggie managed to save her just in time.”

Her eyes had closed and she felt a tear run down her cheek. Lena reached up to wipe it away, “Thank you for telling me, Kara. If you ever want to talk about it some more, or about… anything … else, my door is always open for you ok?” She stressed the _anything_ , but Kara didn’t seem to notice.

Kara nodded, “Thanks Lena, you’re a good friend.” She took her glass and took a sip of wine, getting herself together again. It felt good to talk about it to someone, even if she couldn’t tell Lena everything. Maybe it was getting time she changed that.

The waiter appeared again with the first of many dishes and soon their entire table was filled. Kara’s eyes grew wild and Lena smiled. “Dig in” she said. Kara started to pile food on her plate and started eating with vigor. Lena also started eating, sampling every dish and deciding that this was a very good restaurant indeed.

After a good thirty minutes, most of the food had vanished and the two friends were talking and laughing about little things. Kara’s phone started ringing, Winn’s name lighting upon the screen. “Sorry …” Kara said and answered the phone, “Yes Winn”

“Kara, there’s a fire in the skyscraper at 6th. They could use Supergirl’s help.”

“Ok.” Kara disconnected the call and sheepishly looked at Lena. “That was work … I really hate to bail on you now. But there’s this … interview … I really have to do now.” She grimaced, the lies were starting to come harder and harder.

Lena waved her off, “Sure, don’t worry about it … Go! Report!” She smiled at Kara and watched as her friend grabbed her bag and hurried out of the restaurant. Lena took her glass, sat back and slowly finished her wine, “Go get them … Supergirl …” she whispered.

 

* * *

 

 

It was completely dark by the time Maggie’s truck stopped at the crime scene. Both doors swung open and Maggie and Alex got out and walked past the yellow police tape. With the amount of lights the police had on, they could take in the area. It was a farm, an old farm, with several sheds and one main house surrounded by grassland. In the middle of the driveway lay a body covered by a tarp. Several police officers lingered at the scene, including the homicide detectives Maggie recognized. She walked over to the man, “Hey, Paco … what have we got here?”

Alex walked over to the tarp while donning a pair of gloves. She crouched and carefully lifted the edge, revealing an elderly man with what was clearly a gunshot wound through the head. She looked at her girlfriend, “Doesn’t look alien to me.”

Maggie frowned and lifted an eyebrow at the man standing next to her, she knew they wouldn’t call her in without a good reason.

“That’s what we thought at first,” Paco’s deep voice boomed, “finally a simple murder investigation … but that’s too much to ask for in this city … .” He shook his head and pointed at a cop car a little further away. Next to it stood a man and a woman, covered in blankets, talking to a police officer. “Witnesses … they live on the next farm over. Heard the gunshot and several cars driving off.” He paused for effect, “… and saw what they describe as purple lightning coming from the area.”

“Purple lightning?” Alex repeated, getting up and moving next to Maggie.

Paco nodded, “That’s what they said. A big cluster here and then several smaller ones heading off to the North. When it was over, they headed over here and found the victim. Christian Callahan. Lived here on his own after his wife and son passed. A bit of a loner, but a good man.” He looked at Maggie, “Thought it’d a good idea to bring Science Division in on this one. The Feds are an extra bonus.” He gave Alex a grin.

Alex rolled her eyes, “I’ll see if I can find anything and keep you posted.”

Maggie stepped forward, “Go ahead and process the scene. We’ll compare notes in the morning.”

“Sure thing Sawyer,” Paco waved at the coroner so the man could start removing the body.

Alex and Maggie returned to the truck and got in. “Purple lightning, really?” Maggie quipped, “Alien?” Alex shrugged, “Never heard of anything like that before, but I’ll check in with J’onn.”

Maggie started the truck and drove away, “First we get some sleep, it’s a long road back to the city.” Alex nodded and rested her head back against the seat. She would never admit it, but she was bone tired. She hadn’t been sleeping well since …

Maggie glanced over at her, frowning and worried. She was there whenever Alex woke from yet another nightmare, softly coaxing her back to sleep. She saw Alex close her eyes and focused back on the road, deciding not to hurry the drive back to her apartment. Maybe that way her girl could get some rest.

 

* * *

 

 

Several days passed without further incidents. A couple of burglaries aside, Kara could work on being Kara and spend late nights at CatCo, still trying to get (and stay) on Snapper’s good side. But she was slowly getting the feeling that the man was warming up to her. He stopped calling her ponytail, so that was something right?

She scored another published article on Lena Luthor, though that was easy since Lena refused to talk to any other reporters.

She stopped by the DEO earlier, but everything was quiet there as well. There were no major sightings of aliens causing problems. Alex was on leave, taking some much needed vacation. She knew Maggie worked less hours to be with her, as things seemed quiet at the NCPD as well. The murder case they worked on proved to be a dead end. Neither Kara nor J’onn ever heard of an alien race using purple energy fields. And with no further sightings there wasn’t much they could do.

So Kara sat on the couch in her apartment, bored out of her mind. She absently zipped through the channels on the television while checking her phone. She had sent a message to Mon-El earlier, but the man was probably still sleeping.

She sent out another message, perhaps Lena had time today to meet for lunch?

 

* * *

 

 

In an abandoned building downtown, Seven woke up with a gasp. Remnants of dreams, or were they memories, slowly faded away. Several other homeless people didn’t even look her way as she slowly got to her feet. She had managed to reach the city and kept moving for almost two days, but finally the exhaustion took over and she followed some homeless people into this building, where she crawled into a corner and promptly passed out.

That teleporting, or whatever it was, drained her energy fast. So she stopped doing that as soon as she thought she was far enough from the farm. She reached the outskirts of the city not long after that. Seven knew she needed food, so she walked out of the building and into the streets. She would try and swipe something again from the street food vendors.

The streets were busy this time of day. With many people heading out for lunch. Seven managed to blend in easily, her head tucked into the faded jacket, as she wandered around the city center.

 

* * *

 

 

Lena was just heading out of L-Corp’s main entrance as her phone beeped. She carefully descended the stairs to the open plaza while scanning Kara’s message with a smile. Not paying attention to where she was going, she nearly bumped into a tall person wearing a faded jacket. She mumbled an apology, but didn’t look back.

Seven shook her head but continued walking. She spotted a car with tinted windows driving up and watched as the back window was lowered. The sun reflected from the barrel of the gun and for a moment, Seven thought it was pointed at her, that those soldiers had found her again. But she quickly realized that it wasn’t, it was pointed at the woman who nearly collided with her just before.

Time seemed to slow down as she started to move. She saw the exact moment as the woman spotted the gun, her green eyes widening and her mouth opening in a silent scream.  Seven jumped in front of her just as the gun went off, her purple energy shield up. Several bullets bounced harmlessly to the ground. She gritted her teeth, feeling her energy draining, and holes started to appear in her shield. As quick as the attack started, just as quick did it stop. The car sped off with screeching tires.

People started to scream and panic. Seven’s shield faded away and with it the adrenaline. She suddenly felt an excruciating pain in her abdomen and grabbed at it, blood pooling between her fingers.

“Oh my god …” Lena muttered, in shock. She watched the woman in front of her tremble and moved to catch her when she went down on her knees. “Hang on… please…” She could hear sirens in the distance.

The moment Seven heard the sirens, she panicked. She shoved Lena away with bloody hands and stumbled to her feet with a groan. She took a step and disappeared in a cloud of purple lightning, avoiding the CEO desperately trying to grab her first, “Wait!!!”

Lena pulled out her phone and called the first person who came to mind, she didn’t even let them pick up properly, “Kara! I need Supergirl, someone just tried to kill me! I’m at L-Corp.”

Mere seconds later, Supergirl appeared with a swoosh and grabbed Lena by the shoulders “Rao, Lena! Are you all right?” She started scanning her best friend, a little freaked out by the blood covering her dress. Lena nodded, “Yes, I am. The blood isn’t mine. There was someone here, a woman. She had this sort of energy shield and protected me. But she got hurt, bad. And she panicked and ran, teleporting I think.” She looked Supergirl in the eyes, ”You have to find her!”

“I will … you’re sure you’re ok?” By now, the police cars had arrived on scene and officers started piling out. Kara was relieved to spot Maggie among them. The detective quickly came their way, “Miss Luthor, Supergirl”

Supergirl took a last look at Lena, “I’ll find her,” she said again and took off, leaving Lena in Maggie’s care. Maggie gently took Lena by the shoulder and guided her to a waiting ambulance, “Let’s get you checked out first,” she said softly. Anything else could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter now beta read

Kara scanned the surrounding buildings but came up empty. She hit her comm device, ”Winn, did you record an energy signature just moments before at L-Corp?”

Winn’s voice broke through the statics, “Yeah, I did … Never seen that one before … What’s going on Supergirl? I’m picking up on a shooting … Lena ok?”

“Yes, she is … keep scanning for that signature. It belongs to a woman who just saved Lena. But she got hurt. I have to find her, fast.”

Winn nodded, then realized Kara couldn’t see him anyway. He started typing away on his computer, “got it ... at Brooker street … no, it’s gone again … now at 4th … it’s moving very erratic.” He looked back to see J’onn step behind him, hitting his comm. “Supergirl. I’ve called in Agent Danvers. This sounds like the alien she and Detective Sawyer where chasing before. Be careful in apprehending her.”

Supergirl frowned, “She saved Lena … .” She was interrupted by Winn, “Berkley! The construction site!” He wasn’t finished speaking as Supergirl landed at the location.

She spotted the blood marks on the wall and followed them around the building. There she saw Seven, bloody hand leaning against the wall for support. She looked up when spotting Supergirl and tried to stand straight, “Leave me alone … .” It was meant to be a scream, but she just  didn’t have the energy left.

Supergirl held up her hands as she carefully stepped closer, “I just want to help you.” She said softly, still coming closer.

Seven suddenly raised her shield and threw it with her last energy towards Supergirl. Though Supergirl wasn’t thrown back, it did halt her movements for a second and she really had to push to take the next step forwards.

Seven knew it was over then and her knees buckled. Supergirl rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground. Supergirl was relieved to hear a heartbeat, even if it was faint. She hit her comms, “I’ve got her. She’s unconscious but alive. Bringing her in!” She lifted the woman in her arms and took off.

 

* * *

 

 

An hour later found Lena in her office, pacing with a glass of scotch in her hand. She had showered and changed out of the bloody dress, opting for a pair of loose black slacks. She turned when she heard the familiar sound of Supergirl landing on her balcony. “Supergirl!”

Supergirl pushed the glass door open and walked inside. She walked over to Lena and grabbed her in a hug, not caring what that would seem like, “Thank Rao you’re ok”.

Lena was a little surprised at the hug, but gladly accepted it. “I’m fine … thanks to that woman, did you find her?”

Releasing Lena, she nodded, “She’s at the DEO. Still unconscious when I left … but Alex is watching her … .” She fell silent when realizing she just slipped again, saying Alex and not Agent Danvers. She sighed and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose, it was starting to get exhausting, all the lying. She took a deep breath, “Lena … I …”

Lena grabbed both her shoulders, halting her words. Kara looked her in the eyes. “I have an IQ over 140 … I run a billion dollar company … and I am best friends with a certain reporter … I know … honestly, glasses are not a good disguise.”

Kara gasped, “How long have you known? And why did you never say anything?!”

“It wasn’t my secret to tell,” she smiled. “And I’ve suspected ever since you ‘flew’ here on a bus.” She grinned at the memory.

“But that was the first time we met … I thought I had fooled you afterwards …” Kara’s smile started to grow as well, relieved mostly.

Lena laughed “You certainly tried … several times.” She walked over to the couch and sat down, picking up her scotch and taking a sip, “But really Kara, it isn’t rocket science … and I do rocket science.”

Kara grinned and walked over to the couch, dropping next to Lena, “So that means next time I have to bail from dinner, I don’t need to make up excuses?”

“Nope,” Lena answered with a smile, laughing when Kara answered, “Thank Rao” with a deep sigh and threw herself back into the cushions.

 

* * *

 

 

J’onn walked into the med bay and approached Alex, who was taking notes on a chart. “Any change?” he asked.

Alex shook her head, “She’s still out of it.” They both looked at the woman lying on the sunbed, still unconscious. Alex walked over and pulled up her shirt, “She had a gunshot wound in the abdomen, here.” J’onn stepped closer and frowned, looking at the healthy pink skin, only a fine line remaining. He lifted an eyebrow and waited for Alex to continue.

“As soon as I got the bullet out, the wound started closing on its own. It took approximately half an hour for it to close fully …” she looked at the chart, “I took some blood and ran some tests. It seems her cells regenerate at an extremely high rate. That should take an insane amount of energy though. Might explain why she hasn’t woken up yet.”

J’onn nodded pensively and looked back at Alex who stood fidgeting, almost hopping from one leg to the other. She clearly found something else an d was both excited and hesitant to tell him. “Go on,” he offered, knowing Alex well enough to know she needed a push now and then.

Alex took a deep breath, “There’s something else … .” She walked over to the woman and carefully turned her left arm to show the faded lettering. “I took a sample from the ink and ran it through some spectrophotometric tests … it’s from earth … and dates back to about  1940 ...” She paused and took a breath “… it’s the same ink the Nazi’s used to mark their Holocaust victims."

J’onn closed his eyes and sighed sadly. He ran a hand over his face, “That would mean this woman had been on earth at least 70 to 80 years.” He left the rest unsaid.

Alex ran her finger down the woman’s arm to her wrists and the scar tissue there, “She’s been shackled … for a long time. Years probably, maybe decades … the wounds healing, scabbing over to be ripped apart again.” She blinked when J’onn put a hand on her shoulder, “We will find who did this to her,” he said, his voice low, almost threatening. “Keep me posted on her condition.” Alex nodded, not trusting her voice just yet. J’onn gave her shoulder a squeeze and walked away.

With a deep breath Alex looked at the woman, “You heard him. So you better wake up, ok?” With a nod to herself, she turned and walked back to her desk.

 

* * *

 

 

It was like an old, blurry movie. Her arms and legs tied to the table. Seven tried to scream but found she had no voice. A man appeared in her vision, snapping rubber gloves in place. He moved closer, a scalpel in his hand. Seven’s eyes went wide as she struggled in vain against her bonds. The man plunged the scalpel into her chest …

Seven’s eyes shot open with a gasp and she pushed herself up from the bed. She looked around, confused, and saw the lab she was in. The equipment and tools lying around, sifting through her cloudy mind.

“Easy!”

She looked up and saw a figure coming towards her. Still lost in the remnants of the dream, Seven reacted and rushed out of the bed towards the figure. She grabbed Alex by the throat and pushed her hard against the wall. Alex clawed at her fingers, her eyes going to her alien gun laying on the desk. Seven followed her glance. She shoved Alex away and grabbed the gun. Alex dropped and grabbed her throat, coughing. She looked up, right into the barrel of her gun.

Seven hesitated, the vision of the man from her dreams fading into the woman before her. She noticed the door on the other side and slowly moved back, gun still pointed at Alex. Then she fled through the door.

“Shit!” Alex cursed as she moved up and slapped the alarm button on the wall. The sirens started to sound. She touched her comm device, “J’onn! She woke up, hostile! Lock down the base, she’s armed!”  At J’onn’s affirmative, she took out her phone and called her sister.

 

* * *

 

 

Kara, still in Supergirl getup, was lounging on Lena’s couch. She was reveling in the fact that she could finally talk to her friend about everything. Lena had finally calmed down enough from the attack to talk about it. “Do you think your mother had anything to do with it?” She finally asked.

Lena snorted, “She had me kidnapped multiple times and almost framed me … trying to have me murdered is something new … but who knows what’s going on in the mind of Lillian Luthor.” She almost spat the name and took a healthy swig from her scotch “... when my savior wakes up, will you bring her here? I would like to thank her in person,” she finally said, turning back to Kara. The ringing of Kara’s phone halted any reply.

“It’s Alex,” she said and answered the phone.

“Kara, get back here. Trouble!” Alex yelled into the phone and disconnected.

Kara looked at Lena with big eyes, “I have to go! I’ll call you!” In a flash, she was gone, leaving Lena staring in surprise. The CEO drained her glass and tried not to worry too much. She stood and walked to her desk, deciding to try and get some work done. Maybe it would take her mind off the events of today.

 

* * *

 

 

The DEO was on high alert as Supergirl arrived. She ran toward Winn at his station behind the computer. “What’s going on?”

Winn pointed at the video feeds, “That woman woke up … not happy!”  Kara could see her on the screen, back against the wall, throwing DEO agents through the halls with purple bolts. “Let me through,” she said, knowing protocol was to lock all doors to that location. Winn toggled on his keyboard and Supergirl rushed through the doors.

Seven knew she was trapped. These soldiers kept coming and she was slowly losing energy. No shots were fired yet, but she figured they wanted her alive. That woman from the lab got closer and Seven threw another shield her way. Alex only stumbled a few steps back. Breathing heavily, she looked at the soldiers who now surrounded her, guns blazing. She reached back and drew Alex’s space gun. “I’m not going back,” she said and put the gun barrel under her own chin. No matter how fast she healed, she figured a bullet in the brain would be the end for good, even for her.

Then there was a blur and the woman in red and blue stood before her, “Wait!” Kara held up her hands, “Don’t do it!”

Seven held her breath, hesitating, and looked at Kara. “My name is Kara Zor-El, and I just want to help you … We just want to help you… ,” she glanced at Alex and nodded. Alex slowly lowered her gun, motioning for the other soldiers to follow her example.

“That’s my sister, Alex,” Kara continued, “she took care of you when you were hurt.” She noticed that the hand holding the gun against her chin start to tremble.  “Look, I don’t know what has happened to you. But we’re not taking you anywhere you don’t want to go, trust me, please …” The gun started to lower and Kara carefully stepped closer, “You know, that woman you saved … her name’s Lena … she’s my best friend. She just told me she wants to meet you, to thank you …” Kara reached out and everybody sighed in relief as she took the gun from Seven’s hand with no resistance. Kara handed the gun back to Alex and grabbed hold of Seven, just as the latter started to slouch down the wall. She put one of Seven’s arms around her shoulders supporting her, “Let’s get you back to the med bay, you need to rest.”

Seven didn’t speak, she just nodded her consent. Kara led her back, closely followed by Alex. Once inside the med bay, Kara helped Seven sit down on the bed and then lay back. Seven quickly closed her eyes, drained.

Alex walked to her desk and ducked to pick up some files from the floor, thrown there in the earlier struggle. Kara looked at her, only now noticing the angry red welts around Alex’ neck, “Alex! Sweet Rao.” She moved over to her sister and pushed her down in the chair, she quickly x-rayed her throat but found only bruises. “I’m fine Kara,” Alex said with a cough, in a rough voice, “or I will be anyway.”

Both sisters looked back at the woman sleeping again on the bed, “We really need some new safety protocols when handling unconscious unknown aliens in here …” Alex piped up and Kara laughed, relieved that everything was ok for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is BETA read, thanks Rebellion_Bear!

“Alex!” 

Alex looked up to see her girlfriend rush into her lab. Maggie gathered her in her arms, “I heard what happened … Are you ok?”

“I’m fine Mags … really” Alex gladly held on a while longer.

Maggie reluctantly let go and noticed Supergirl sleeping in a chair. The blonde lay at a strange angle with one leg slung over one armrest, her neck over the other, and her head tilted to the floor. “She ok?” Maggie asked.

Alex snorted, “Yeah … Kara can literally sleep anywhere. It’s not like she can get sore muscles, or a kink in the neck.” 

“Talking about sleeping, Danvers, when’s the last time you got some?” Maggie looked at Alex, who sighed. 

“I know … I’ll go home soon, I promise.” 

Maggie frowned at that, vowing to stay by Alex’ side and drag her home if needed.

She looked at the occupied bed and stepped closer, “So that’s our purple shooting alien?” 

Alex nodded, “Yes … Well, probably. She’s a purple shooting alien. We don’t know if she’s the same one from the crime scene yet.” Though Alex doubted there were more of those running around the city.

The woman in question groaned softly and started to move her fingers and head. She mewed softly, almost like a wounded animal. 

Kara’s eyes shot open and she sped next to Alex, who looked to her sister. “Same as last time she woke up. It’s like she’s having a dream.” 

Maggie stepped closer, “Not a nice one… .” Alex grabbed her arm to pull her back, “I don’t think she was fully awake last time … and we know how that turned out.” She winced, but at least she wasn’t alone in the room now.

Suddenly, Seven’s eyes opened and she sat up with a gasp, breathing heavily. Sweat beaded on her face. She blinked a few times to get her bearings, the dreams fading faster than last time. Her eyes fell on the three women standing a few feet from the bed. Kara, she remembered, with her blonde head and very distinctive red and blue clothing. Next to her stood Alex, tense with her hand on her gun. And then there stood someone she didn’t know yet. A woman, dark and small in stature, with her arms crossed in front of her chest and her chin high, protective …

She blew out a breath and saw the women relax slightly. It was Kara who came closer first. “Hi again,” she said softly, “How are you feeling?”

“Uhm … ok? I think,” Seven thought for a moment. “I’m not going to go on a rampage again, if that’s what you’re worried about … Sorry about that … I hope I didn’t hurt anyone too bad.” Her voice was soft and gentle.

It was Alex who answered, “mostly bruised egos … .” She remembered fully grown men being tossed around like ragdolls. She motioned her head towards Maggie, “This is detective Sawyer … Maggie … She’s my girlfriend … and a police officer. She needs to ask you something.”

That explained the protectiveness, Seven thought, as she nodded at Maggie in greeting. 

Maggie let her arms drop and jumped right in, ever the detective, “Do you know anything of an old man being shot at a farm?” Seven’s eyed dropped, giving Maggie her answer. She waited patiently for Seven to start talking.

“His name was Chris … he was a good man … ,” she started. “He helped me … and I think he was killed because of it.” She felt a tear run down her cheek. 

Kara moved closer and sat down next to her on the bed. “Do you know who killed him?” she asked gently. 

Seven shook her head, “Men, military men in black … they wanted me … I don’t know why, I don’t know anything.” She grabbed at her head, clawing her fingers in her hair, clearly getting agitated.  “I don’t know where I come from. I don’t even know my name! … He-he called me Seven, the leader of those men, Specimen Seven … I’ve been calling myself that”

Kara gently reached up and detangled Seven’s hands from her hair. She looked her in the eyes, “We will help you … Seven … We will find those men and discover what they know. And until we do, we will keep you safe.” Kara spoke with such devotion that Seven just had to believe her, not like she had a choice anyway. 

“But first,” Kara continued and pointed at Alex and Maggie, “you two go home and sleep. And I’ll ask J’onn to assign Seven quarters so she can shower, change her clothes, get some food and more rest ... Not necessarily in that order.” 

Maggie smiled at her. “Ok, little Danvers … Call if you need anything.” She grabbed Alex by the arm and nearly dragged her out of the lab.

Kara smiled softly as she watched them leave.

 

* * *

 

 

It was late at night as Lena’s phone rang. The CEO was still in her office, per usual. She glanced at her phone and answered with a smile, “Hi Kara. Is everything all right?”

“Yeah … sorry I had to leave so suddenly earlier. There was an … incident. But everything is ok now!”

“Glad to hear it,” Lena felt relieved. “How’s my savior?”

“Her name’s Seven … long story … but she’s good, awake and everything.” Lena could almost hear Kara’s smile through the phone.

“Glad to hear that. You remember what I said? That I want to thank her in person?”

Kara nodded, “I’ll ask her in the morning. We’ll drop by if she’s ok with that.”

“Ok, thanks for the update.”

“Bye, Lena. Don’t work too hard, ok? Go home and get some rest.” She just knew her friend was still working. She heard Lena chuckle through the phone, “Will do,” and disconnected the call.

 

* * *

 

 

Maggie walked into Alex’s apartment and tossed her keys on the countertop. She looked back as Alex closed the door. “Hey, Babe, you want to shower first?” she asked, and Alex nodded, shrugging out of her jacket and hanging it on the hook by the door. “Want a snack before bed? I’ve got sandwich fixings in the fridge?” She heard a muted “sure” as Alex was already halfway to the bathroom. 

Opening the fridge, Maggie started pulling out the items and started making them both some late night snacks. She heard the shower come on and sighed, noting that the bathroom door was still open. Ever since the Rick Malverne episode, Alex left the bathroom door open … and never showered when she was home alone. She probably thought Maggie didn’t notice. Sometimes Maggie wished her girlfriend would drop the whole tough agent routine and just talk to her.

She took a bite from her vega- spread-topped bread and munched absently. Maybe she needed to talk to Kara about this. If there was anyone who could get through to Alex, it was her sister.

The shower stopped, and minutes later Alex appeared, a towel around her torso and rubbing her hair dry. Maggie handed her a plate, “Here you go, hot stuff” 

Alex gratefully took the plate and started eating. “Your turn,” she said, seeing that Maggie had finished her sandwich, “Then we can get some sleep.”

Maggie stood and started to walk toward the bathroom, unbuttoning her shirt on the way. She threw her shirt on the couch and leered back, “There are other things we could do … .” She disappeared with a big grin into the bathroom, leaving Alex staring after her. 

It took a moment for Alex’s brain to catch up and her smile to grow, but then she quickly finished her sandwich, turned off the lights and followed her girlfriend into the bathroom, dropping her towel on the way …

 

* * *

 

 

It was early the next morning as Lena paced in front of a whiteboard in her office. She hadn’t gone home the night before, opting to stay in the small loft on the top floor of the L-Corp building, right above her office. 

The whiteboard was filled with numbers and formulas, and Lena stopped pacing to add or remove something several times. She was getting frustrated. This was the key to revolutionizing transportation, a way to create clean, environmentally friendly fuel. But something was missing.

She halted and looked up when she heard the knock at her door. “Come in.”  

She smiled when Kara poked her head inside, “Hope we’re not interrupting anything.” 

“You? Never. … In fact, I could use the distraction right about now.”

Kara walked in and held open the door for the person following her.

Lena’s mouth opened slightly and she actually felt her heart skip a couple beats. The woman following Kara was tall, nearly a head taller than the blonde, and dressed in the standard black DEO tactical gear. She was thin, yet broad shouldered with long limbs. Lena had to drag her eyes away and softly cleared her throat, “You must be Seven,” she said, dropping her CEO mask back into place. She stepped closer and held out her hand.

Kara heard Lena’s heartbeat spike, but ascribed it to Lena meeting the woman who saved her life yesterday. When Seven didn’t move, she leaned closer and mock whispered, “On earth it’s the custom to shake hands when greeting.” She nudged Seven with her elbow.

Seven jolted back to reality and mirrored Lena, holding out her hand. Lena smiled and clasped Seven’s hand, imparting a firm, heartfelt shake. Seven could have sworn she was being electrocuted …

“I am Lena Luthor … And I guess I owe you my life. If there’s anything I can do to repay you, just ask.” Lena reluctantly let go of Seven’s hand, she didn’t really understood where the unexpected surge of feeling that had welled up came from. She led the group to her couch. “Please, sit.”

Before Kara could sit, however, her phone went off. “Noooooooo, not again … .” She groaned, seeing Winn’s name flashing on the screen. Kara looked at Seven, “Will you be ok for a few minutes? I’ll be right back.” She looked at Lena with her puppy eyes.

Lena smiled and pointed at the window, “Use the balcony, it’s faster.” Kara smiled back and was out in a flash, her clothes discarded in a pile on the floor. 

There was a knock on the door and Jess, Lena’s assistant, walked in. “Miss Luthor, sorry to bother you, but Dr Sanchez is on the phone. It sounds urgent.”

“Thank you Jess,” Lena said and walked to her desk, picking up the phone. She looked at Seven, who was sitting on the couch. “I’ll just be a moment. Feel free to look around.” She turned her back to Seven and answered the phone.

Seven, seemingly for once, felt free, and looked at Lena for a distinctly long moment. She was glad Lena’s back was turned because those eyes, those green eyes were her undoing. She ran a hand over her face, trying to get a grip. She started to look around the room, noticing the fine and probably expensive furniture, the art on the walls. She stood and walked over to a cabinet holding small prototypes of some sort. She carefully picked up one and knew immediately that it was an engine of some sorts. It was crude and not very sophisticated in her mind. She put it back when her eyes fell on the whiteboard.

She walked toward it and looked, reading the formula. Without hesitation, she picked up the marker and added something to it.

“What are you doing?!” Lena came up behind her, having just finished her call. The CEO stepped next to her and gazed at the board, her jaw tight. 

Seven stammered, fearing she did something terribly wrong. “Uhm … there was a mistake … ,” she stopped talking as she felt Lena grab her arm tightly. 

“That will work … ,” she heard Lena whisper in awe. She swallowed loudly as green eyes turned to her, “You fixed it … How?” 

Seven shrugged, “I just saw a mistake”

“You just saw a mistake … ,” Lena repeated, still trying to grasp how this alien, who didn’t even know how to shake hands properly, could know such an intricate formula. “… Are you from an advanced world perhaps? And a scientist?” she asked.

Seven thought for a moment, “Maybe … I can’t remember.” Lena’s brows dropped in a frown and her eyes softened. Seven looked back at the board, “It just seems familiar. The notation is different, but I know this formula … I even know how to make it more efficient.” 

Lena got a glint in her eyes, “Truly.” Her smile grew—learning and discovering—there was nothing Lena Luthor liked to do more. 

“It’s all about the alloy … ,” Seven started, noting more things down, and Lena listened, questioning her, adding her own views. 

The two were so engrossed in their discussion, neither heard Supergirl land on the balcony. “Huh …” Kara exclaimed. Kara coughed and finally, Lena turned to her, “Oh, hi, Kara. I didn’t hear you get back.”

Kara lifted an eyebrow, “I noticed … .” She grabbed her clothes from the floor and redressed in a whirl. “We probably should be getting back to the DEO.” She pushed her glasses back on her nose.

“Of course,” Lena wondered why that made her feel sad all of a sudden. She turned to Seven, “Thank you for your help … I learned more these past minutes than I have in years.”

Seven ducked her head, smiling shyly. 

“I hope we will get the chance to do this again … ,” Lena added hopefully and held out her hand. Seven didn’t hesitate to grasp it. “Me too.”

Kara frowned as she heard Lena’s heartbeat spike again … and did her friend look … flustered? She dropped the frown as Lena looked back at her. 

“See you soon, Lena. Be safe.” Her friend moved closer for a hug, which Kara accepted gladly. 

“You too. Thanks for coming.” 

With a last wave, Kara walked out of the office, closely followed by Seven, who couldn’t resist throwing one last look back before closing the door behind her.

Lena swallowed, those eyes just seemed to burn right through her. “Be still my beating heart,” she murmured to herself, then shook her head. Lena Luthor, big shot CEO … get yourself together. She turned back to the whiteboard and pulled out her phone, dialing the R&D department. They have work to do …

 

* * *

 

The man was trembling, sitting in a chair in the semi-darkness. With only one light shining straight in his face, he had a hard time focusing on the woman standing before him.

“Why did you do it? …  Why did you go after Lena Luthor?” the woman asked, her voice cool and collected.

“Somebody had to … that bitch is a traitor to the cause,” he felt sweat drip down his face, knowing who the woman was before him, “Alien lovers,” he spat. “She’s a disgrace to her name … to you!”

Lillian Luthor took a deep breath, “Be that as it may, I am still giving the orders here ... At least now we discovered a new alien in the city, one we need to watch.” She looked up at the man standing next to her and nodded. Cyborg Superman lifted his robotic arm, the pistol seeming to emerge from nowhere, and promptly fired. The man slumped to the ground.

Cyborg superman lowered his arm, “He did have a point.”

“I know,” Lillian said, “but I’m not giving up on my daughter just yet. She will see the truth sooner or later.” She turned and walked out of the room, the cyborg following her. She swiftly walked into the next room and toward the man waiting by her desk. Sitting gracefully as always, Lillian eyed the man before her and the armed men he brought. “It seems we can come to an agreement. I may have found something you seek…”

The man’s dark eyes gleamed … 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and kudos! :)


	5. Chapter 5

As the days passed, Seven got into something of a routine. Like Lena, Alex soon discovered that Seven was a brilliant engineer and got her to help on several DEO projects. Seven kept her quarters in the DEO, but started to go out into the world more. She mostly joined Kara, going with her to work and got used to the hectic day to day life of the earthlings.

That first morning, Kara brought her some new clothes to help her ‘blend in.’ Alex just shook her head and murmured something about “attack of the nerds,” playfully ducking the cushion Kara threw at her.

J’onn was the hardest to convince about letter her go outside. Only the promise that Seven would never use her powers in public and would always stay in the company of DEO personnel, made him agree to it.

Seven joined the group on their night out at the alien bar. There she met James and found she immediately liked the big but soft spoken man. She also met the bartender, a good looking guy who went by the name of Mike, but who the others referred to as Mon-El. Kara explained who he was and where he came from, and Seven noticed that the man was dear to Kara’s heart.

Alex and Maggie taught Seven to play pool and after a rough start (those rules were complicated!), she wiped the floor with both of them. They also discovered that Seven was, in fact, not immune to earth’s alcohol and the night ended with her passed out on Alex’s couch.

It was on the sixth day that Seven saw Lena again, as the CEO walked into the CatCo building, her hands full of takeout bags.

Kara spotted her first. “Lena!”

Seven looked up from the magazine she was reading.

“Hi Kara,” Lena said and hugged the blonde, handing her the food. “Hope you have time for lunch.” She looked around the room and smiled when she spotted Seven, who she’d hoped to find there.

Seven stood, pushing the glasses up her nose. She now understood Kara’s nervous habit.

Lena chuckled and asked Kara, “Glasses again? Really?” She turned to Seven, “They suit you.” She looked down at her, “the clothes don’t though,” she laughed at Kara’s indignant, “Hey!”

When the laughter died down, she turned back to Seven, “I was actually hoping to find you here. Do you remember the engine adaptations we discussed last time?” She waited for Seven to nod, “Well we’ve run into a snag and I was hoping you could offer your insight once more.”

Seven glanced at Kara, “I would love to … but I’m supposed to stay with Kara ...” She hesitated.

Kara shrugged, she knew Seven was bored out of her mind at CatCo. At first, Kara had taught her to read when she noticed she couldn’t. After only a few hours of pointing out letters and words, Seven picked it up quick.

“It’s ok, go with Lena and I’ll stop by L-Corp to pick you up later. If there’s a problem you can call me and I’ll be there in … like seconds.”

Lena smiled, “Excellent! My driver is waiting downstairs.”

“Thanks Kara,” Seven said, somewhat relieved to get out of there and back into a lab. “See you later.”

Lena and Seven walked to the elevator and rode it down to the exit. There, Lena led Seven to an impressive looking car, a man in a black suit already holding the door open. “Where to, Miss Luthor?”

Lena thought for a moment, “Lurchmont … We’re taking a small detour.” She smiled at Seven before getting into the car, the other woman following her.

As the door closed, Seven looked at Lena, confused.

“Do you trust me?” Lena asked.

It didn’t take Seven long to contemplate that, “Yes.” And she did … she didn’t know why, only that she did trust her.

Lena sat back and relaxed as the car drove off.

 

* * *

 

 

J’onn held a hand to the pad on the wall, closing the force field at the DEO jail. He turned back to Alex, both of them dirty and sweaty after a long day of chasing down rogue aliens. “That’s the fourth out of control alien we apprehended this week. Something is not right.”

Alex couldn’t agree more. All of them were causing minor trouble in the city and were taken down easily, not needing Supergirls’ help. “Winn is running diagnostics to see if there’s anything linking them. Maggie’s working it on her end, hitting the streets. Even Guardian is keeping an eye out.”

J’onn huffed, still not liking a civilian doing vigilante work. “Keep working on it … before we run out of cells here.”

Winn’s voice came through the comms, “Guys … I’ve got another one …”

J’onn lifted an eyebrow at Alex. “Right,” she replied with a weary sigh before they both made their way back topside.

 

* * *

 

 

Seven followed Lena into the elevator in L-Corp. She couldn’t stop looking at herself in the reflection on the glass walls. The clothes Lena had chosen for her made her look even taller. Everything, from the fine dark boots, designer jeans, pale blue shirt and dark denim jacket, was tailored to fit her perfectly. Only the glasses Kara had given her remained.

Shopping with Lena was an experience Seven would not likely forget any time soon. Lena walked into the shop, an expensive looking shop, like she owned the place (she explained later that she actually did). She called for the seamstress and the woman greeted her by name.

“Miss Lena … what a surprise!” The woman  exclaimed, “What can I help you with today? A fine dress perhaps, or something more basic?”

Lena shook her head and took Seven’s arm, “It’s not for me this time, Camille. I need some new outfits for my friend here.”

Seven looked confused as the woman seemed to light up.

“My, my Miss Lena … that’s a fine specimen you’ve got here …” Camille walked around Seven slowly.

Seven tensed, but she felt Lena squeeze her arm and visibly relaxed. She told Lena she trusted her.

“She needs the basics, shirts and trousers. Some boots … and I want her measured for a suit.” Lena added the last part on a whim. Seven would look good in a suit … she decided not to examine just why she wanted to see her in one.

Camille clapped and jumped up and down, “Leave it to me! Come through … ” The woman skipped through the shop to the back.

“She’s a bit much …” Lena smiled at Seven, “but she knows what she’s doing, trust me!”

Seven just nodded, wondering what a suit was, and let Lena lead her further.

“Do you like it?” Lena’s voice brought her back to the present. She sounded a bit unsure, her voice cracking. Lena hated it when her voice cracked.

“I do, thank you.” Seven’s voice was soft.

“Don’t thank me … you saved my life, it was the least I could do. And Kara, I love her dearly, but she has the worst fashion sense ever!”

The elevator stopped and Lena stepped out with Seven following. Lena removed her jacket and hung it in on a hook next to the door. She took a lab coat and shrugged it on. She held out a second coat for Seven.

After a slight hesitation, Seven removed her own jacket and took the coat.

“Come, let me show you around,” Lena said and opened the doors to her lab.

 

* * *

 

 

Seven and Lena worked together in harmony, running tests on different alloys for Lena’s new engine design. It was like they instinctively knew what the other needed. In one instance, Seven was welding some metal sheets, crouched next to the workbench, as Lena wordlessly handed her the next piece of equipment to fit in the design. She did this while peering through the electron microscope, not even looking at what she was doing.

Some of the lab technicians even stopped to stare at the pair. As far as they knew, this was the first time their boss brought anyone down to the lab. Lena Luthor liked to work on her own, she liked her space. It was common knowledge.

Then there was the moment Seven was pointing out something on the table and Lena had to lean across her to see it clearly. Seven felt her ears start to burn when she felt Lena’s body press against her back. Lena, on the other hand, had to remember to take a breath. But when she did, her nose filled with a hint of Seven. She wasn’t trying to smell her friend, she told herself later.

By the time Kara arrived at L-Corp, the two had returned to Lena’s office, going over data while lounging on the couch.

“Hi again Kara,” Lena looked up from her tablet as her friend walked in.

Kara immediately walked over to Seven and fingered the collar of her shirt, “Is that Armani?”

Lena laughed, “Jealous?”

Kara looked at her, “Well … Y-yeah!”

“I’ll take you shopping next time!” Lena put the tablet down and stood, looking at Seven. “I guess that’s your cue to go.”

Seven nodded, “Don’t want to worry the DEO …” She stood in front of Lena and hesitated.

It was the CEO who finally moved forward and initiated a hug. Seven exhaled and closed her eyes as her arms wrapped around Lena’s shoulders, pulling her close. Her nose just touched the top of Lena’s head and she breathed in her scent.

Kara looked on, a bit uncomfortable. That was a long hug just to say goodbye, it looked ... intimate. She was about to comment when they separated.

“Thank you again, for your help,” Lena said. ”Don’t forget the rest of your clothes.”

Seven nodded and moved to take the brand new backpack, slinging it over her shoulder. “I had fun today, really … I felt … at home, maybe? … normal.” She dropped her eyes, “I hope we can do it again?”

Lena smiled, “You’re always welcome in my lab.” And for the first time ever, she truly meant that.

“Come on Sev, let’s go. Before J’onn hunts us down.”

Seven nodded and opened the door, throwing a glance back before finally leaving.

Before Kara followed, she turned back to Lena, “Lunch tomorrow?” She decided it was time the two had a talk.

“Ok … I’ll have something delivered here.” Lena hadn’t moved.

Kara smiled and closed the door behind her.

 

* * *

 

 

Kara and Seven moved to an alley and after making sure no one spotted them, Kara flew them both to the DEO. They landed smoothly and walked inside.

Alex and Maggie stood at the command center, behind Winn, all looking at his computer screen.

Maggie was the first to look up and whistled, “Damn girl, you clean up nice! … Oh, relax Danvers,” she added when Alex threw her a look. “Luthor?”

Seven nodded, and looked at the floor. Why was she feeling the need to blush all of a sudden? “I’m going to put my bag away,” she said softly and fled.

Alex first looked at Maggie, who lifted an eyebrow, and then back at Kara, motioning her head. She walked away to her lab with Maggie and Kara following.

“What’s up?” Kara asked, leaning against Alex’s desk.

“Armani?” Maggie said with a smile.

Alex waved her off, “That’s not the point. Why was Seven with Lena and where were you?”

Kara sighed, “Lena asked if Seven would help her in the lab …”

“Kara!” Alex intervened.

“… She was bored out of her mind at CatCo. She belongs in a lab!” Kara argued.

“There’s an unknown military force looking for her, for god knows what reasons. What if they were spotted? You could have endangered them both!”

Kara looked down, ashamed, “I didn’t know they’d go shopping,” she murmured.

“What?! Kara!”

Maggie decided to intervene, “Ok, Danvers, little Danvers … time out.” She stepped between the two. “It’s done now. She’s back at the DEO. Next time she wants to go to L-Corp, post a couple of guys around to keep watch.”

Alex turned her back to her sister and pinched her nose, breathing deeply. She was tired and frustrated and really shouldn’t take it out on her sister.

After a moment, Kara decided to talk about something else bothering her. “I think there’s something going on between Lena and Seven …”

Maggie snorted, “Duh … Armani. Why else would you buy a girl Armani? And tailored to boot.”

“You haven’t bought me Armani,” Alex piped in, nudging her girlfriend.

“Babe, I work for the NCPD. I’m not loaded.”

Alex chuckled and kissed Maggie on the cheek. She looked back at her sister, “What have you seen?”

Kara frowned, “It’s just the way they move around one another. The looks they give each other. I can actually feel the energy crackling in the air. And Lena’s heartbeat is erratic whenever Seven is around.”

Maggie contemplated that, “… And are you ok with that?” she asked.

“I am … But Lena is my best friend and I’m worried for her. We still don’t know a thing about Seven. I mean, she’s nice, very nice … and smart.” Kara took a breath, ”I’m meeting Lena for lunch tomorrow. Maybe we can talk about it then.”

The group fell silent and Kara changed the subject, “So what’s up with all the aliens going crazy in National City?”


	6. Chapter 6

Seven had a rough night. One nightmare of blood, shackles and cages melted into another. At around 2AM, she jumped up again, breathing heavily, hands covering her face. She got up and walked to the small bathroom. Alex had lent Seven her room at the DEO, with its own shower, since the agent didn’t stay there regularly anymore. Seven gladly accepted.

She took off her clothes and stepped under the hot water, sighing as the sweat was washed away. The dreams were getting worse, she thought, and they didn’t make any sense. She held out her arms, staring at the markings there. What had happened to her?

Shutting off the water, Seven got out and started to dry herself with a towel. She tried not to look at herself in the mirror. Good, healthy food had filled out her frame a bit, but she was still very thin. And the scars … Seven didn’t want to think about the scars.

She dressed in fresh clothes and finally faced the mirror, running her fingers through her hair. She might have been good looking … once …

Seven sighed, “Why do I care anyway?” she asked herself aloud. The answer came quickly, Lena. She balled her fists and closed her eyes. There was no point in ignoring what she felt around the CEO. And she had the feeling she wasn’t the only one. Seven sighed again. Nothing could happen between the two of them. That would be too dangerous for Lena. And Seven would rather die than let anything happen to her. She would have to stay away, it was the only solution. Stay away until these feelings passed. It would be best for both of them.

Mind made up, Seven left the bathroom and left her room. Sleep was now out of the question and she had work to do.

 

* * *

 

 

 J’onn stared into the dark eyes of the man sitting at the other side of the table. He was one of the aliens most recently apprehended and brought into the DEO. The man was thin, dressed in ragged clothing and hadn’t said a word since his arrest. He looked fully human, but from the arrest reports he knew that the man was inhumanly strong.

“Why were you attacking civilians? … Where do you come from? ...” Alex, sitting next to J’onn, tried again. But the man just keeps staring into nothingness. Alex sighed, tilted her head toward the door, and the two of them left of the room.

In the hallway, she looked to him without much hope. “You got anything?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“No … his mind is blank, like all the others … How many do we have in custody now?”

Alex scanned her tablet, “14 … Our cells are filled to the brim … We’re starting to transfer the most dangerous ones to the desert holding.” She sighed, “They’re not talking, nothing. And we’re not getting closer to an explanation as to why.” All the aliens, they assumed they were all aliens, were arrested after minor incidents, mostly for endangering civilians.

“Keep working on it, and keep me posted.”

Alex nodded and watched J’onn leave. There was something not right about this situation, she just hoped they would catch it in time.

 

* * *

 

 

Lena looked up when she heard the familiar footsteps land on her balcony. She closed her laptop and sighed, it wasn’t like she was getting any work done anyway. Her mind wasn’t in it today.

Supergirl bounced in with a smile and the two hugged briefly. Kara noticed her friend was a little off. “Everything ok, Lena?”

Lena smiled and nodded, walking to her couch, several pizza boxes already waiting. “I was craving some high calorie food … I didn’t think you would mind.”

“Pizza! … I find it to be one of the best things on this planet, actually.” Kara skipped over and almost threw herself on the food. “I’m famished!”

“Aren’t you always?!” Lena laughed and took a slice for herself, using napkins to at least appear to be a sophisticated CEO.

They ate for awhile in silence, Kara glancing at her friend every so often. Both uncharacteristically quiet.

“What?” Lena asked softly, after the third time she caught Kara staring.

“Are you sure you’re ok? You look a little tired.” Kara finished her first pizza.

Lena sighed, “I didn’t get much sleep last night. And work’s busy, as always.” She spoke the truth, having spent an entire night tossing and turning, replaying the events from the day before.

Kara started on her second pizza, “So how was working with Seven the other day? Did you manage to fix the problems?” She didn’t miss the way Lena’s eyes lit up when she mentioned the tall blue eyed alien. Guess that answers that question.

“We did actually … and more. I’ve rarely accomplished so much in just one day. Seven’s brilliant … and I don’t just say that. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever said that about anyone before.” She looked at her pizza, trying to fight the rising blush but failing miserably, and took a bite to stop speaking.

Kara swallowed another pizza slice and decided to just go for it, “Do you … like … Seven? … like, like like her?”

Lena almost choked on her pizza and picked up her glass of water from the table, taking a long drink. “Like like? What are you, 5?” she asked after she regained her composure,  though she had a gentle smile in her voice. She took a deep breath, no longer in danger of choking, “And I don’t know … I … might …”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you unsure about anything … Do you want to talk about it?” Kara offered. “I didn’t even know you … you know.”

“Liked girls? … I don’t let myself be limited by gender.” She sat back and looked at Kara, “I’ve had quite a few lovers in the past, both male and female. Though I admit I’m more attracted to women in general … I hope you’re ok with that…”

Kara nodded, “Sure! Definitely!” She finished the last of the pizza. “So … about Seven?”

Lena blushed, “There’s just something about her …” She contemplated what to say, “I’ve never felt more … alive… than I did yesterday in the lab. Not to brag, but it’s hard to find someone I can go head to head with on a science level. It’s refreshing.” Her smile dropped a little, “But there’s also something mysterious … something dark and … sad.”

“I know … That’s why I worry …” Kara’s voice was soft, “You’re my best friend and I don’t want to see you get hurt. Seven is a mystery … who she is, what she can do, where she came from … and though I believe she would never hurt you, or anyone, on purpose, we don’t know any of the answers or how they’ll affect her.”

“You know,” Kara continued, “On Krypton we were matched by compatibility. Gender didn’t matter, children were born through science. The concept of love was strange to me when I first came to earth. I knew I loved my mother and father, my aunt, my cousin … But being in love with another person … that was a hard lesson to learn when I hit puberty.” She chuckled, remembering Alex trying to explain the concept and sitting with her through hours of romantic movies, even though she knew her sister despised them.

Lena smiled. This was the first time Kara shared something about her former home with her.

“I think I see it in Alex, when she’s around Maggie. This chemistry between them.” Kara looked Lena in the eyes, “And I saw it again when you and Seven hugged goodbye yesterday.” Lena’s eyes went wide and Kara placed a hand on her arm, “Yes, I worry … but I’m happy, really happy for you.”

Lena pulled Kara into a hug, “Thank you,” she said finally, a tremble in her voice.

When Kara moved back, her eyes were slightly moist, as were Lena’s. She jumped to her feet, “Ok, enough with the sap. I think I better get going. Need to get some editing done today before Snapper fires me, and you never know when the world needs saving again. So I better take advantage of the peace and quiet.”

“Be safe, Kara.” Lena watched her friend move to the balcony. With a last wave of her hand, Supergirl took to the sky.

Lena giggled before she could stop herself, “Oh, Luthor … You are not a teenager anymore.” She went back to her laptop, maybe now she could focus on her work again.

 

* * *

 

 

Alex, tablet in hand, walked into one of the DEO labs and found Seven at a workbench, looking at circuits through a magnifier. “Hey, Seven, what are you working on?”

Seven didn’t look up, “Enhancing the sun grenade ... I managed to upgrade the power systems, but these circuits keep frying.” She lifted her goggles and looked up. “It needs stronger metals. This titanium alloy isn’t cutting it.”

“That’s the strongest metal there is … Anything else is literally out of this world.” Alex looked over Seven’s shoulder at her work. “How about looking at the durability instead of the strength?”

Seven shrugged, “That’s not nearly as effective … but I’ll give it a go.”

“I need you for something else first. J’onn asked me to make an assessment of your powers. To find out what you’re capable of. Mind if I run some tests?”

“Sure.” Seven stood.

“Come on, we’ll go to the training room. I’ve set the dampeners up to contain your energy.” They moved out of the lab, “That way we won’t accidentally blow something up.”

As they walked, Alex noticed Seven’s sluggish movements. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah … just haven’t slept well ... nightmares …” Seven shrugged.

Alex nodded and left it at that. She knew about nightmares. She opened the door to the training room, “Get up on the platform.” As soon as Seven did, she touched the tablet a couple of times and the dampeners came on, a reddish glow surrounding the platform. “It should absorb anything you throw at it. That way I can measure the energy output.” She tapped some more and then looked up at Seven, “Go ahead, give it your best.”

Seven crossed her arms and focused, a sliver of lightning appearing and growing bigger. She moved her arms and her purple shield appeared, flashing and shimmering. It too got bigger, enveloping the entire platform before fading into nothing, leaving its creator panting in the center.

Alex lowered the dampening shield and moved toward Seven, who stood with her hands on her knees, breathing hard. “Ok?” Seeing Seven nod, she turned back to her tablet. “I got quite the readout … It doesn’t look like you could actually kill someone with that, but it would incapacitate ... Do you have enough juice left to teleport a few times?”

Seven stood up and focused, waving a hand. She stepped directly into her shield, appearing at the other side of the room. There, she repeated the motion and returned to her original location. She swayed slightly next to Alex, who grabbed her arm to steady her.

“I see you’re getting the hang of it.” Alex helped Seven step from the platform and sat her down on the stairs. She handed her a bottle of water.

After taking a long drink, Seven’s breathing slowed back down. “I’ve never teleported very far. It’s like I have to see where I’m going.”

Alex nodded, “That sounds logical. If you don’t, you might end up inside a wall … or half through a wall ... When transporting matter it’s vital that it reaches its destination in one piece, or ...”

“I would disintegrate …” Seven took another drink from the bottle, “That doesn’t sound fun.”

“No, it doesn’t … so let’s not try that,” Alex turned off her tablet, all the data collected and sent to her computer. “So … what are you planning for the rest of the day? Going to Lena’s?”

Seven frowned. She drained the bottle and stood. “No, I’m not … I have work here.”

Alex was a bit taken aback by her blunt words, “Uhm, ok … Be sure to get enough rest. I just drained you.”

“Sure,” Seven stormed out of the room, leaving Alex staring after her.

 

* * *

 

 

For the next few days, Seven never left the DEO. She worked on the sun grenade, managing to upgrade the power and durability. If there ever was another solar flare, Kara wouldn’t remain powerless for long.

Seven withdrew to the training room several times, trying out her powers, testing her limits. During one of those tests, Kara walked in.

“There you are.” Kara, in Supergirl getup, approached the platform, where Seven laid on her back, panting and drained. Seven looked up, “Hey.”

“Are you ok? Haven’t seen you in a couple of days.”

Seven sat up, “Yeah sure … I’ve been working … and training.”

Kara frowned, Seven looked tired and pale, with dark shadows under her eyes. She was slow to get back on her feet. “Lena just called. She was hoping you could stop by later …”

Seven sighed deeply and walked past Kara off the platform and to the exit. “I can’t … I have too much work here.” She didn’t dare to look at Kara.

It was the third time Seven tried that excuse, Kara knew. “But  … she misses you, as a friend …”

Seven glanced back, pained, “Tell her I’m not such a good friend.” She edged through the door and headed to her quarters. It’s better this way, she told herself. No matter how much it hurt.

Kara watched her leave, eyes wide. She saw that look. There was pain in Seven’s eyes, “Huh … What just happened?” She wondered aloud.

Her phone rang and she absently picked it up. “Kara Danvers.”

“Hi Kara, it’s me,” Lena’s voice came through the speakers, “Hope I’m not interrupting anything? Have you spoken to Seven today?” She sounded nervous.

Kara pinched her nose, ”Yeah …” She hesitated, “I just did … the DEO is drowning in work lately. She told me to tell you that’s she’s sorry, but there just too much work here…”She grimaced at the lie.

Lena was silent for a long time, until Kara’s super hearing picked up on her sigh, “Anyone ever told you you’re a bad liar? … But it’s alright Kara. If she wants to keep avoiding me, I certainly won’t stop her. You shouldn’t either.” Kara hated how defeated Lena sounded. “I’ve got to go. I have a meeting in five.” She disconnected.

Kara stormed out of the room in search of her sister. This was not something she could handle alone.

 

* * *

 

 

Later that night, Lena sat in her penthouse, alone in the darkness. She made it out of the office, finally, after a long and tedious meeting, and had poured herself a big glass of scotch. She nursed it slowly, already feeling the buzz and reveling in it. It wasn’t like she needed to stay sober for anything right?

She contemplated the day and felt like a fool. Again, her heart misguided her. When she was a child, she loved her brother. If she was completely honest with herself, she still did. Her brother, Lex, with the curly hair and the easy smile, not that crazy bald monster he’d become. Deep down, she even loved her mother, a fact proven true not so long ago when her mother’s words of ‘wanting a second chance’ had stirred something inside she thought was long dead. Of course Lillian only said that because she needed something.

When Lena went away to college, she was often lonely. She was several years ahead of her peers, graduating at only 17, and no one liked to have the ‘little girl’ tag along. Jack was different, she might have even loved him once. But they, too, drifted apart and Lena didn’t think she would love again after that, preferring random encounters and flings while building up her business empire. It was easier that way.

She took another swig from her glass. Then Kara came into her life, and yes, Lena crushed on the blonde terribly. Who wouldn’t? She flirted shamelessly, but soon found herself in a deep friendship unlike anything she had experienced before. Kara loved her, she knew that. Sweet, loyal Kara was her best friend (her only friend if she was honest and it’s kinda pointless to lie to yourself), her soulmate even. But she would never be more than that and maybe that was a good thing.

And then her best friend brought Seven into her office … and Lena was lost.

She knew Seven felt something as well. The lingering touches, the smoldering looks. Lena drained her glass and sighed. Seven was avoiding her. She must have picked up on her feelings and wanted nothing to do with her. It was the only explanation. And that was ok … She just wished she hadn’t told Kara. Lena hated appearing weak, even to her friend.

Lena stood and made her way to the bathroom on wobbly feet, shedding her clothes along the way. A shower and sleep were the last orders of the day … and maybe some Vicodin and a big glass of water or she would hate herself even more in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

“Your lights are dirty.” Kara stared at the cobwebs on the ceiling. “Want me to clean them?”

  
Alex chuckled and leaned her forearms on the back of her couch, staring down at her sister. Kara was sprawled on her back, arms and legs at odd angles. “You didn’t come here to talk about my cleaning  habits, or lack thereof.”

  
Kara sighed, “I need advice about Lena … well, about Seven and Lena.”  She saw Alex lift an eyebrow. “About them … you know …” Alex just shrugged, not getting what Kara’s trying to tell her. With a groan, Kara sat up. “Them liking each other … And not as just friends. More like the, ‘I want to tie you to the headboard and have my way with you’ type of liking.”

  
Alex slapped a hand across her face and turned red at the mental image, “Kara!”

  
The sound of keys at the door signaled Maggie coming home. “Hey Babe.” She walked into the apartment and spotted the sisters on the couch. “Hey, Little Danvers! You embarrassing your sister again?” She tossed her keys on the counter and took off her jacket, hanging it on a chair.  


“Just asking advice about Lena and Seven getting together,” Kara quipped, Alex still mortified.  


Maggie laughed and walked over to the two, “Did you talk with Luthor?”  


Alex looked up at her girlfriend, “You’re not even surprised about Lena?” Maggie gave her a sassy smile and moved closer for a kiss. “Babe, Luthor had my gaydar going haywire since the first time we met ... And besides, she did buy Seven Armani, remember?” Maggie wasn’t soon going to forget how hot Seven had looked in those clothes … and she was only human. She walked around the couch and dropped next to Kara. “So what did Lena say?”  


Kara frowned, “I think Lena is head over heels … But Seven has been acting weird lately.”

  
Alex squeezed next to her girlfriend on the couch, sitting half in Maggie’s lap. Maggie hugged her close. “She told me she’s been having nightmares. Maybe it has something to do with that. J’onn tried to read her mind the other day, but was blocked by something.” She placed a hand on Maggie’s shoulder and absently started to play with her hair. “And she’s been pushing herself, hard. I told her to take a day off today, to get some rest, but she just glared at me and went to the lab.”

  
“She’s scared of something.” Kara’s voice was soft. “And now Lena thinks she’s being ignored. She poured her heart out to me and I don’t know how to help her.”

  
The trio fell silent, “We could always just kidnap them and lock them in a room somewhere …” Maggie was only half kidding.   


* * *

 

 

“You wanted to see me Sir?” Seven walked into J’onn’s office. She stood in front of his desk, arms crossed behind her back.

J’onn laughed, “Though I do appreciate that you try to follow Earth customs, you do not work for the DEO. You can call me J’onn.” He looked at the way she stood, rigid like a soldier. “And you can stay at ease around me.” She immediately relaxed her stance.

“You really need to get out more …” J’onn continued. “Talking about getting out of here … Do you have any ideas about the future? Your future on earth? … You’ve been here for several weeks now. There’s been no sign of those soldiers and Alex has assured me that you are in full control of your powers. I see no further reason to keep you under surveillance.” He tried to gaze into her mind, reaction, but once again failed to get even a glimpse of what she was thinking.

Seven took a deep breath and nodded, not really sure what she should say. She knew J’onn was trying to read her mind, as he squinted his eyes every time he tried that.

“You are no longer required to take agents with you as you leave the DEO. We will stay in contact and continue to help you settle in. You could join the DEO officially, if you want, or find a job on the outside.” He waited for Seven to reply.

It took a while for Seven to do so, “You guys saved my life. I want to repay the DEO and continue working here, as a scientist or field agent. I want to help keep this world, my world now, safe.”

J’onn nodded and smiled, “I’ll prepare the paperwork.” He looked down and took something from a drawer and slid it across his desk to Seven.  She carefully took the device. “It’s a cellphone. I’ve programmed my own number into it, as well as Alex and Kara’s. I’m sure one of the Danvers sisters can show you how to work it. Keep it on you and if there is any problem, you call us.”

He stood and moved towards Seven, placing a hand on her shoulder, “But you do need a life outside of this place. Find an apartment, settle in.” He paused and considered his next words carefully, “I will continue to help you get your memories back, but the possibility remains that we will fail … You need to prepare yourself for that. And then you can start building a future here.”

Seven closed her eyes and nodded, touched by J’onn’s kind words. “Thank you.”

“Go and get some sleep. Starting tomorrow you are a DEO agent. We’ll see about getting you some field training. And I’ll tell Kara to start apartment hunting, she’ll love that.” J’onn smiled.

Seven smiled back and slowly left the room, “Good night, J’onn.”

Three days later, Seven stood at the center of her new apartment watching an excited  Kara bouncing around. It was a small one-bedroom flat, close to the DEO and came completely furnished. Seven stepped through the glass doorway onto the balcony and stared at the surrounding buildings. The balcony was mandatory, Kara had said. It was a good spot for a Supergirl landing.

“So? What do you think?” the blonde asked when she finally came to a stop.

Seven smiled, “I like it ... Thank you.”

Kara leaned her back against the railing and looked at her friend. “You should call Alex and Maggie, and J’onn … and James … Winn …. Yes, let’s have a party! You need to have a housewarming party!” She jumped up and down, having programmed all those numbers in Seven’s phone. There was one other number she programmed though … and Seven knew it.

“Have you talked to her recently?” Seven sighed.

Kara fidgeted with her glasses, “We had dinner last night.” She had a sad smile on her face. “She’s fine, working too hard like always.”

Seven had no response and Kara groaned, “Why won’t you just talk to her? I know you care about her.”

Seven hung her head and closed her eyes, “You cannot imagine how I feel about Lena … I yearn for her … But she deserves someone better than me, someone whole. Not this broken shell …” She inhaled when she felt Kara move closer and wrap her arms around her.

“Is that why you’ve been staying away?” Kara felt Seven’s nod.

“That night, after Lena and I worked together, I had nightmares again. Bad ones. I don’t want Lena exposed to that. ” She felt Kara stand up and looked into her eyes.

“Don’t you think Lena should decide that?” The blonde asked and watched Seven’s eyes drop and her shoulders sag. “Talk to her, please. Just tell her why you’re scared … And even if you can’t get past it, at least you’ll get some closure … both of you.” She knew Lena needed it.

“I know … you’re right … Thank you Kara. You’re a great friend …” Kara gave her a big smile and grabbed Seven in a tight hug, “… to me and especially to Lena.”

They hugged for a few moments before they moved back inside. “So … about that party …” Kara was throwing Seven a party, no discussion …

 

* * *

 

 

“Try it again!” Alex was yelling at Seven, who stood at the other side of an empty parking lot. They were at an abandoned factory in the center of the industrial district of the city.

Seven nodded and started to move. With a small motion of her hand, she transported herself several yards to the left. She turned and did the same, appearing to the right several yards above the ground. As she started to fall, she disappeared again and reappeared in front of Alex. She had a big grin on her face, “I think I’m getting the hang of it.” She wasn’t even breathing hard. Teleporting was taking less and less effort.

Alex opened her mouth to reply as her comms beeped. “Yes, Winn?”

“Guys, I’ve got an alien attack downtown. Multiple aliens and civilians involved … it’s at L-Corp …”   
Hearing that, Alex looked up to Seven, who looked back with wide eyes. “We’re close by. Supergirl?”

“Is already there. I’ll keep you posted. Winn out.”

“Lena …” Alex heard Seven whisper as she ran for the car. Seven beat her to it, having transported there. Alex got behind the wheel and floored it.

 

* * *

 

  
   
When they arrived, the place was in chaos. Supergirl was flying over the streets, fighting at least two opponents in the sky. Several DEO agents were already on scene, hiding behind their cars, taking fire. Their opponents were armed. Most with human weapons, others with powers of their own.

Definitely alien then.

The car came to a halt and Alex, alien gun in hand, rushed out and headed toward J’onn who was also crouching behind a vehicle. Seven followed her and created a shield-wall around the agents, the bullets bouncing harmless to the ground. The roar of a motorcycle announced Guardian’s arrival and James, having his shield to protect him, ran straight into the fray, hitting the biggest of his opponents head on. The big, bulky, six-armed alien hit the ground.

J’onn looked at Alex and Seven, “There are civilians trapped in the lobby of the building. Focus on getting them out safely, take Guardian. NCPD is on its way as backup.”  They could hear sirens approaching in the distance, mostly drowned out by the sound of the battle.

Above them, Supergirl tossed one of her opponents to the ground, where he stayed motionless. She turned to face the other one.

Seven nodded at Alex, “Stay close,” and stood. She started to run up the stairs, directly towards the group of armed men, Alex close behind, both shielded by her wall. The men, distracted somewhat by Guardian, tried to retreat inside the building. Guardian took advantage of that to hit another man in the head. He too went down. “There are more of them inside!” he yelled. Seven sped up, not hesitating, and crashed through the lobby door.

She came to a halt to assess the situation, Alex dropping behind the counter. Seven could see four heavily armed men, surrounding a bunch of people crouched in the middle of the lobby floor. She hesitated only a moment when spotting familiar green eyes looking right at her. Lena was kneeling at the back of the lobby, in front of one of the armed men. Seven noticed she was unhurt and held herself straight, only the slight widening of her eyes revealing how scared she really was.

Seven held up her hands, “It’s over. Put your guns down.” Her voice was calm. In her peripheral view, she spotted Alex moving to the other side of the counter, gun pointed at the men, giving her a slight nod. She knew Alex was a good shot, that she could take out two opponents easily before they even knew what hit them. That left two for her … but that one guy was really close to Lena …

The solution came in the form of Supergirl, crashing into the lobby with her airborne opponent unconscious in her arms. Seven did not hesitate and teleported to Lena, appearing above the man and smacking her fist into his face on her landing. He dropped to the ground. She heard Alex’s gun discharge twice, not missing its marks and Kara simply threw the man she was holding into the last one.

With that, the attack was over. Agents, both DEO and NCPD, rushed inside the building toward the civilians. No one appeared to be hurt, except for the attackers of course.

Seven hissed and shook her hand. She had felt something snap.

“Are you ok?” Lena asked, her voice soft and gentle as she stood next to Seven.

To Seven, it was the most beautiful sound she ever heard and she dropped her eyes. “Euhm, yeah … I will be soon.” Her hand would heal itself in a few minutes. She looked up when she spotted red boots in front of her.

Supergirl grabbed Lena in a tight hug and then gently took Sevens’ hand, X-raying it. She quickly moved her fingers across it, snapping the bone back into place with an audible crunch. Seven howled and Lena flinched.

Kara smiled, “You’ll be fine … big baby … Nice move by the way.”

“Thanks … something new Alex and I have been working on.” Seven could already feel the pain fading away as the bones knitted. She saw Alex and Maggie hug before they walked towards them.

“You guys sure know how to party,” the Detective said, a smile in her voice, “What a mess … you ok, Luthor?”

Lena smiled and nodded. The Detective was the only one who could call her by her last name without it sounding like an insult. She could actually make it feel like a badge of honor.

Maggie turned and looked over the wreckage, “This will be hell to process …” She felt Alex nod next to her. “You have to close the building for at least a day.”

“Of course, I’m giving everyone the rest of the day off and it’s Friday. So there’ll be no one here ‘til Monday. Would that work?” Lena could always work from home.

“Sure … Come on Danvers, let’s get processing!” She chuckled when Alex groaned. The two walked away.

Supergirl turned back to Seven. “You should take Lena home and keep her there. Make sure she gets some rest.” Seven opened her mouth to argue, but Kara shot her down, “That’s an order!” She turned to walk away, “And for Rao’s sake … talk!” She left Lena and Seven to stare after her.

“Can she give you orders?” Lena asked.

“Yup.”

“You’re in trouble then … Kara’s bossy.”  
Seven chuckled. “I know.”

They were silent for a moment, still not looking at each other. “So … We do need to talk, right?” Seven asked.

Lena nodded. She reached into her purse for her phone and send a quick message. “I’ll have my driver pick us up. We can go to my penthouse … if that’s ok? …”

“Sure.”

They fell silent again and watched the people moving in and out the building as they waited for Lena’s driver to arrive.

 

* * *

 

“Make yourself at home,” Lena said, as she led Seven inside. She tossed her keys on the table.

Seven walked further inside and looked around, impressed. Lena’s penthouse was big, bright and modern. It was an open plan, with a designer kitchen and table nearest the entryway, then dropping down with two steps into a massive seating area. A big black L-shaped couch stood central in the room in front of the biggest TV Seven has ever seen.

“You mind if I take a quick shower?” Lena asked and Seven shook her head with a shy smile. She watched Lena disappear around the corner.

Seven moved to the back wall of the penthouse, which was almost completely made of glass. She wasn’t surprised to see it led out to a large balcony. She put a hand on the window and leaned her forehead against the cool glass, closing her eyes, and listened to the faint sound of a running shower.

Lena stepped under the hot water, sighing. Yes, she wanted to wash the dirt away from yet another attack, but she also needed the extra minutes to get her thoughts in order. Seven was here, in her house … and she still felt the same pull. And the fear set in her stomach once more. Seven didn’t, couldn’t feel the same … Why else did she stay away for so long? She got out of the shower and quickly dried off. She put on some fresh underwear, a simple skirt and blouse and decided to keep her feet bare. It was warm enough and it would help calm her, reminding her that she was home.

As she walked into the living room, she halted when seeing Seven stand by her window. She looked … forlorn.

Seven stood up but didn’t turn, though she had heard Lena come into the room. “I’m sorry …” She started carefully. “I’m not strong enough.”

Lena frowned and stepped closer, that was one thing she didn’t expect Seven to say. “Strong enough for what?”

“To stay away …”

Her voice was so soft, Lena barely heard her. “Why would you want to stay away?”

Seven sighed sadly and finally looked into Lena’s eyes. “I’m not good enough for you.” She continued, interrupting Lena’s attempt to reply, “You are magnificent. You are smart and kind, brave … beautiful …” She sighed and dropped her eyes, “I am broken … Both in body and mind.” She pointed at the scar that came out of her collar to stop under her ear. “That … is only a glimpse of it ... And my mind … I don’t even have a name ...”

Lena had enough and moved closer, grabbing Seven’s chin gently and tilting it up, “You have a name, it’s Seven. And yes, you might have had another name before, but I don’t care about before … I only care about the now.” She looked up into Seven’s eyes. Without her heels on, their height difference was significant. “And the rest … do you really think I care about your scars? On the contrary, they prove you survived. You should be proud of them, not ashamed!”

She took a breath and let go of Seven, taking a step back. “I am a Luthor … People don’t like to be associated with me because of my last name. I will spend my life trying to right the wrongs my family caused. I could change my name and then nobody would be the wiser. But I won’t. Is that brave or stupid … I really don’t care.” She looked up into Seven’s eyes, “Perhaps I just like to fix broken things … I am a scientist after all.”

Seven just stared for several moments, Lena staring back. The brunette had a glint in her eyes and Seven’s mind had a hard time processing everything. She could almost feel the air crackling around them. Then Lena’s eyes dropped down to her lips and Seven surged forward. She tangled one hand in Lena’s hair, the other around her jaw and ducked her head, pressing her lips against Lena’s, who gasped and pressed closer.

If it was supposed to be a gentle, romantic first kiss, that idea went out of the window soon. Pent up frustration and passion quickly took over as they deepened the kiss. Lena’s hand wandered up and into Seven’ hair, pressing her even closer, as tongues found each other.

Seven let her hands drop to Lena’s hips and wandered lower, hitching up her skirt. She easily lifted Lena up a bit and moved to push her against the window. Lena moaned and wrapped her legs around Seven’s hips.

The need for oxygen became an annoying reality and they broke apart, both panting hard. “I don’t want to stop …” Lena admitted, hoping Seven felt the same but wanting to give her an out if she didn’t.

Seven smiled and placed a soft kiss on her jaw, then on her ear. “Hang on,” she whispered. She stood, Lena wrapped around her, and started to move towards the bedroom.

 

* * *

 

 

Supergirl stood next to her sister outside of the L-Corp building. Most of the wreckage had been cleared away. They watched the last DEO-van drive away, containing the six-armed alien James managed to knock out. He was heading straight to the desert holding cells, the city base was at full capacity.

 “So …” Supergirl started, noticing Alex looked beyond exhausted. “Maggie still at the station?”

Alex nodded, “Paperwork … But she should be on her way out by now.” She looked at her sister, “Can you drop me off at home?” At Kara’s nod, she laid her arms around Kara’s shoulders and felt her sister grab her gently by the waist. It was a routine they had perfected over the years.

Moments later, Kara put Alex down in front of her apartment building. “I’m going to check up on Lena and see if Seven needs a lift home. Dinner later?”

Alex nodded, unlocking the door, “I’ll call for Chinese.” She entered the building and Kara flew off.

Kara landed on Lena’s balcony and looked inside. She frowned when she didn’t see any sign of her friends. This always worried her, with Lena’s tendency of getting kidnapped …

Then her super hearing picked up on two heartbeats, fast and erratic … and was that a moan? Thinking that one, or both of them were hurt, Kara sped to the other side of the building and froze.

There, inside Lena’s bedroom, between twisted sheets, she saw her friends, her very naked friends. They sat up facing each other, Seven’s back to the window, Lena wrapped around her. Seven’s arm disappeared somewhere between Lena’s legs, while she kissed and sucked at her neck. Lena writhed against her, eyes closed, biting her lip, fingers clawing and a look of pure rapture on her face.

“Sweet Rao …” Kara exclaimed, turning beet red. She slapped a hand in front of her eyes, but couldn’t resist taking just a little peek between her fingers. Then she took a shaking breath and flew away, back to Alex’s apartment. The two lovers never noticed her.

When Kara landed on the balcony, she was still looking red. Alex noticed her and quickly opened the door to let her in, “Everything all right Kara?”

Maggie walked out of the kitchen, phone in hand to call for food. “Seven not coming?”

Kara turned beet red again and Maggie laughed with realization. “That fast huh?”

Alex moved next to her sister and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “Good for them.” She said with a smile as she led her flustered sister over to the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

They watched the sunset together, Seven lying on her back, Lena’s head on her chest. Both feeling extremely content and relaxed, basking in the afterglow. A blanket lay forgotten at their feet.

Lena’s fingers absently traced the ridges of Seven’s scars. It had made the other woman nervous at first, but when Lena started to trace them with her lips and tongue earlier, she soon forgot what the fuss was about.

Seven ran her hand through Lena’s hair. She found it soft and silky, almost a shame Lena put it in such a tight bun all the time.

Lena sighed and lifted her head, looking into Seven’s eyes. Seven gently pulled her down into another kiss, her other hand caressing Lena’s leg that was thrown over her body. Lena settled back down, snuggling into Seven’s arms.

“I’ve never felt this way before.” Lena said, her voice soft. “I find it hard to believe it’s real.”

Seven placed a soft kiss on her temple. She contemplated her next words for a moment. “I can’t say anything about the past since I don’t remember … But I feel … content … happy and loved.”

Lena was silent for a few minutes, “Do you remember anything about your past?” She felt Seven sigh deeply. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too hard.”

“I have these dreams …  J’onn thinks they’re memories … Most are about the time I was a captive. I remember certain …  experiments …” She felt Lena’s embrace grow tighter. “… But I have had some flashes from before that time, I think. Faces mostly. And ships … I remember flying my spaceship, working on its engines …It’s all a bit fuzzy.”

“Maybe your memory will return one day.” Lena looked Seven in the eyes and smiled. She frowned when Seven looked back with sad eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure I want to remember … I have this feeling … What if I’m not a very good person?”

Lena cupped her cheek, “You will always be Seven to me … And Seven is a good person, no matter who she was in the past.”

This made Seven smile and she wondered how it happened that this amazing person next to her had such faith in her.

“Stay here tonight and tomorrow,” Lena continued. “We can order food and I’ll cook you breakfast in the morning.”

Seven rolled on top of Lena, who laughed loudly. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

They made love for hours, only breaking it up to order and then eat their take-out. Lena didn’t know how much she tipped the delivery boy, having just tossed it at him in her haste. It was nearing midnight when they finally drifted off to sleep, curled up together, both utterly exhausted.

Early in the afternoon the next day, Seven sat on Lena’s couch, zapping through the channels on that massive TV. Lena lay with her head in Sevens’ lap, tablet in hand, checking her work emails.

“Why do you humans actually need this many channels? There’s never anything on it!” Seven said, a smile in her voice.

Lena chuckled and answered dryly, “The mysteries of the human race. You have much to learn still.” She sighed in content, swiping another email into her trash folder. Her mind was wandering too much to deal with the more important problems of her business today.

She remembered waking up next to Seven’s warm body, watching the other woman sleep for just a few sweet moments, before she too woke up. They came together again, with sweet and tender kisses and touches, until they came undone in each other’s arms.

True to her promise, Lena made them breakfast (or brunch), teaching a willing Seven how to make eggs with bacon and pancakes. After they ate, Seven helped Lena clean the kitchen. Or tried to anyway, as Seven became distracted by the skin of Lena’s neck. She took her right there. Lena would never look the same at her kitchen again.

Lena shut down her tablet, work could wait a bit longer. She remembered something and got up, “Wait here.” She said with a smile.

Seven hit the power button on the remote and shut down the TV, as she watched her leave the room.

It was only a minute when Lena returned with a bag, “Remember when we went clothes shopping? I had you measured for a suit.” She held up the bag, “I had it delivered here a few days later … How about we go out for dinner?”

Seven smiled, she still didn’t know what a suit was, or what was special about ‘going out for dinner.’ But if it made Lena happy she’d be happy to oblige.

 

* * *

 

 

It was late by the time Lena and Seven walked out of the restaurant, Seven’s arm slung over Lena’s shoulders. It was getting a bit chilly and Lena, who’d worn a red sleeveless dress, shivered. Seven was quick to shrug out of her jacket and drape it across Lena’s shoulders. She knew it wasn’t far to the car but didn’t want her to be cold.

Lena smiled at her.  As she suspected, Seven looked ravishing in her new suit. It was black, with a classic cut, tailored to perfection on Seven’s broad shoulders and narrow waist. The light blue shirt made her eyes stand out, the top button undone to show just a hint of what lay underneath. Her scar showed, but to Lena that was just another part of Seven’s beauty.

They walked slowly, hand in hand, enjoying the walk together. They saw the car in the distance and Lena frowned, not seeing her driver.  “Where’s Darias?” She had notified him they were on the way.

A couple of yards from the car, Seven stopped. “Something’s not right.” There was still no sign of the driver.  

Suddenly Seven flinched and grabbed at her neck. She held out her hand, holding a tranquilizer dart. Looking at Lena with wide eyes, she uttered one word “Run!” She could already feel the drugs start to work. Whatever it was they gave her, it was strong.

Lena turned and started to run away, still holding on to Seven’s hand, but stopped abruptly. Masked men had surrounded them. Seven stepped in front of Lena and created a shield around them. It crackled and faded quickly as her vision started to get blurry, the only thing keeping her standing was Lena’s grasp on her shirt.

As the men came closer, Seven tried to fight them off physically, but her sluggish movements had little effect. It wasn’t long before they rushed her, throwing her to the ground.

“Don’t touch her! Seven!!”

Seven could hear Lena screaming as she tried to get back up, her body no longer cooperating. She felt hands grab her and tried to fight them. Seconds later, she blacked out.

Two men grabbed Lena, who had stopped struggling by now. It wasn’t like she could fight them all anyway. She watched as a black van pulled up and several men picked up Seven, throwing her roughly in the back. Lena was shoved after her. She crawled to the back, pulling Seven into her lap, relieved when she saw the rise and fall of her chest. At least they were both still alive.

One man got in the back with them, holding a gun in one hand and Lena’s purse in the other. She must have dropped it in the struggle, along with Seven’s jacket. He put the purse down and walked closer. He crouched and searched Seven’s pockets, finding her phone, never taking his eyes off Lena. Then he sat down and knocked the side of the van. The doors closed and Lena felt them move. She held Seven tight and stayed alert and aware of their captor, waiting for whatever happened next, trying not to show her fear.  
  


* * *

 

 

Kara paced around her apartment with her phone to her ear, chewing nervously on the side of her thumb. She frowned when the phone, again, skipped to voicemail. This was the third time she had tried calling Lena. She had tried Seven’s phone several times as well.

She made an attempt not to worry at first, with her friends possibly otherwise ‘occupied’. But after several hours of no response, she was afraid something was wrong.

She dialed her sister.

“Hey Kara, what’s up?”

“Alex, I can’t reach Seven or Lena!”

“Calm down, Kara … When’s the last time you heard from them?” Alex knew her sister worried easily.

Kara sighed, “Lena texted around six. They were going out for dinner. She said she would call me when they got back.” It was now after eleven.

“They could have gotten … distracted?”

“That’s what I thought too, but then I tried calling and they’re not picking up, neither of them … And I kinda flew by earlier ... Not to spy or anything, but I’m just worried and I didn’t even look, I just listened…” Kara was babbling.

“Kara …” Alex sighed and Kara could almost see her sister pinch her nose.

“... They weren’t there. I didn’t hear their heartbeats.”

Alex had to admit that it did sound suspicious. “Do you know which restaurant?”

“That fancy new French place … Meet you there?”

Alex was already on her way out the door. Since Maggie had been called into work earlier she was home alone. “I’m on my way.”

 

* * *

 

 

By the time Alex arrived at the restaurant, the police were already present, putting up yellow tape around the scene. Alex got out of her car and walked to the officers, flashing her fake FBI badge. “Special Agent Danvers. What’s the situation here?” The officer was about to respond when a familiar voice caused Alex to break out a smile.

“Hey Babe, what are you doing here?” Maggie walked up to Alex and placed a quick kiss on her lips. The officer just shook his head and walked away.

“Hi! Have you seen Supergirl around?”

Maggie nodded, “Yeah, she just flew up here, took a look around and flew away again. What’s up?”

“She’s worried about Lena and Seven. Haven’t heard from them in a while. They were supposed to come here for dinner.”

Maggie frowned and walked to a parked car, Alex following, “We got a 911 call about a kidnapping. When we got here, we found this …” She led Alex to the open trunk of the car, the body of a well-dressed man inside.

“Shit,” Alex cursed, “That’s Lena’s driver …”

“Shit indeed … There was a jacket on the sidewalk. Custom tailored, had Luthor written all over it. …Witnesses said they saw a group of masked men throw two women in a van. We’re running license plates, but nothing has come up so far ...” Maggie groaned in frustration, “We should have had them under surveillance!”

Alex placed her hands on Maggie’s shoulders, “We couldn’t have known.”

Supergirl landed next to them and saw the body in the trunk, “Darias! Oh no.” She hadn’t know the man well, but knew Lena had liked him and trusted him. She shook her head and turned sad eyes to her sister and Maggie. “I’ve scanned the perimeter, there’s no sign of them.”

Alex wanted to hug her sister, but with her being in her Supergirl guise now, that was out of the question. She placed a hand on her arm instead. “We’ll find them.”

Supergirl nodded.

 

* * *

 

 

Seven felt sick. Her head was pounding and her stomach churned. Had she been drinking with Alex again? She tried to pry her eyes open, groaning softly.

“Seven?!”

“Lena …” Seven managed to get out as she rolled over and blinked her eyes open, her memories returning. She saw Lena at the other side of the room, sitting in a cage not unlike her own. She crawled to her feet, shaking, holding onto the bars for support. Her hand went up, there was a strange device wrapped around her neck. “Lena! Are you ok?”

Lena grabbed the bars of her own cage and looked at Seven, nodding. They were not far apart. ”I’m not hurt. I’m more worried about you. You’ve been out for a while.”

“Whatever they hit me with, it had a punch … But I think I’m ok now.” Seven said, “I’m going to get us out of here.” She took a step back, preparing to teleport out of the cage. The device around her neck started to glow red and Seven was hit by an electric shock so painful that she screamed, falling to her knees.

“Oh god, Seven!”

At that moment, the doors to the room opened and a group of people walked in. Several of the masked men, an unmasked man and … Lillian Luthor.

Lena stepped back , “M-mother?!”

Lillian stepped closer, “Hello dear.”

From the other cage, Seven, still on her knees, stared in disbelief. What that really Lena’s mother? She knew Lena’s family was a piece of work, but kidnapping your own daughter…

Lillian signaled the men and two of them went to Lena’s cage, opened it and pulled the CEO out, holding the struggling woman tightly by the arms.

Seven growled and threw herself against the cage. She reached out to hit them with her energy, the device around her neck glowed again and countered back, steering a shock through her body. Seven screamed again but remained standing, holding onto the bars of the cage.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Lillian said, smiling. “You see, that ring around your neck is programmed to take your energy and route it back to the source. You. It’s supposed to be quite painful.” She turned to her daughter, eyes dark and angry. “You couldn’t sink any lower could you? It’s one thing to be friends with aliens, but sharing your bed with one?” She glanced back at Seven, “Though I do see the appeal … if you’re into that kind  of thing …”

Lena struggled against her captors, “Spare me your opinion, mother! … Why are you doing this?!” She spat.

Lillian smiled gently, reaching out to caress Lena’s cheek. “I’m doing this to protect you.” She frowned when Lena jerked her head back. She pointed at Seven, who was struggling against the bars. “That! Is an animal in a cage. It is where all aliens on earth belong, caged!” She looked at the unmasked man, “And this man will help us achieve that goal. Doctor Müller, as promised …”

Lena watched the man, this doctor, smile. It was a scary smile, his dark eyes never leaving Seven. He moved closer to the cage, “Remember me, Specimen?” Lena couldn’t quite place his accent, but it sounded European. She watched Seven’s reaction and her heart sank. Seven’s eyes grew wide and she trembled, stepping back and then falling down, trying to get as far away from this man as she could. The doctor turned to Lillian, “We will be leaving now. Our plans for this one have been delayed too long as it is.” He headed to the cage, several men following him.

Lena started to struggle again, “No! Leave her alone!”

Hearing Lena’s voice broke Seven’s fear and she got to her feet. She rushed the cage, gathering energy and pushing against the men. The ring around her neck glowed bright red and Seven screamed, but she kept going. One man was hit by a lightning bolt, another one was thrown away. The doctor just waited it out and soon Seven dropped down, spent. Lena could actually see steam rising from her skin. She screamed Seven’s name, tears running down her face, getting no response.

The doctor gave a signal and the man opened the cage, dragging out a semi-conscious Seven. They tied up her arms and legs. “Lena …” She mumbled a couple of times, before the men pulled a bag over her head and dragged her out of the room.

The doctor turned to Lillian, holding out his hand, “This concludes our agreement for now. I look forward to working with Cadmus again in the future.”

Lillian shook it, “As do I Doctor. Together we can build a better future for our beloved earth.” The doctor nodded and left. Lillian turned back to her daughter, who stared at her with hate in her eyes.

“You will pay for this!” Lena spat.

Lillian sighed, “I’m doing this for your own good. One day you’ll see that.” She nodded at the man holding Lena, and he took a syringe, jabbing it into Lena’s neck. “One day, dear daughter, you will see it my way.” The tranquilizer worked fast and Lena felt herself slipping away.

The men put her on the ground. Lillian took Lena’s cell phone. “Prepare to move. As soon as this phone restarts, we’ll have about … 30 seconds before company arrives.”

She hit the power button and tossed the phone down next to her unconscious daughter.

 

* * *

 

 

Lena jolted awake and immediately grabbed her head, groaning. She had one hell of a migraine. A body wrapped itself around her and, though it wasn’t the body she was hoping for, Lena leaned into it, frowning as she felt it shake with what felt like badly contained sobs. “Kara …. Are you ok?”

Kara sniffed and didn’t let go, mumbling into Lena’s hair. “Am I ok? I wasn’t the one kidnapped … again … When I found you, I thought you were dead.”

Lena held onto her friend a bit longer, taking the time to look around the room. She wasn’t in the hospital … she’d been there more times than she liked to admit. It had the feel of a hospital though, maybe a private one? But Kara was in her Supergirl outfit … and there was a man watching them, a man who looked suspiciously like her mother’s henchman, it had to be the Green Martian J’onn. Did Kara take her to the DEO?

Kara stopped shaking and Lena felt her wipe at her face. She pretended not to notice the tears.

Alex rounded the corner into the room. J’onn had used the comms to inform her that Lena was awake. She looked at her, “Glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?”

“I have a splitting headache … otherwise fine … My neck hurts.” Lena reached for her throat, a large bruise had formed on the side of her neck, where the syringe was inserted too roughly. “Why am I here? I mean, Kara could have just dropped me off at the hospital.”

Kara looked at J’onn. When she flew back with Lena in her arms, it had been his direct order to bring her to the DEO, against standard procedure.

The man stood and looked at Lena. “It’s true that when Kara first befriended you, we did not trust you. We don’t trust easy and your … family relations didn’t help.” He spoke slowly, staring into Lena’s eyes. “But you have proven yourself, over and over. And Seven … Well, seven brought you closer to us, here at the DEO.” He walked over to Lena and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, “... We are a family ... And family takes care of each other.”

Lena felt a warm, wet drop fall on her hand, she hadn’t even realized she was crying. Kara held her tighter, Alex gazed at her with a soft smile. Was this what family felt like?

After a moment, J’onn stepped back. “Tell us everything you know … We’ll track down Seven and whomever is responsible for her capture.”

So, Lena told them everything she knew, which was infuriating little. She told them of her mother and Cadmus aligning themselves with this doctor.

“He was German, I think. Seven was terrified of him.”

“He must have had something to do with her earlier imprisonment then. She must have had repressed memories.” Alex was taking notes of every detail Lena could remember. “Why didn’t she use her powers to escape?”

Lena dropped her eyes, she remembered Seven’s screams of pain. “She had some sort of collar around her neck. Every time she tried, it lit up and caused her pain ... Terrible pain ... She kept on trying anyway …” Her voice broke. Everyone in the room could imagine what Lena went through, seeing the person she cares for suffer so.

J’onn looked at Alex, “Let’s get the rest of the DEO briefed and set up a plan of action. Kara, take Miss Luthor home and stay with her. Get some rest. We will need Supergirl at full strength.” His gaze fell from Lena and focused only in determination, his eyes blazing red with barely contained anger, “We will find her!”

Lena had to believe him, she had no choice. She didn’t think she would survive if he was wrong ...

 

* * *

 

 

The next few days passed maddeningly slow with no focus or progress for the CEO. She spent long hours at her office but didn’t really get any work done. She was glad she had such a good executive assistant, Jess really deserved that raise Lena pushed through last month.

When she was home, alone, she couldn’t find any rest. Everything in her penthouse reminded her of Seven. How was it that in such a short time, the woman had managed to become such an integrated part of Lena’s life?

Lena was so very grateful for Kara. Whenever Kara wasn’t flying around as Supergirl, she was with Lena, at home or at the office. They talked and laughed and cried together. Kara kept her mind occupied.

Sometimes Alex joined them, or Maggie if police work allowed it. Even J’onn stopped by one evening to see how she was doing. And to remind her of his promise.

But days turned into a week, into two, into a month … Still there was no sign of Seven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally managed to get the next chapter out. It's a longer one. Hope you all enjoy it. Please let me know if you do (or don't!)
> 
> As always, thanks to Rebellion_Bear

Maggie sat at her desk at the NCPD, staring at the pictures on the whiteboard. She drained her cup of coffee, grimacing at the taste, hoping it would keep her up and running a bit longer. She’d been throwing herself into work, trying to help the DEO find a lead, any lead, to find her friend. She had a hunch and Maggie knew to trust her gut when it came to her cases. It’s what made her good at her job.

On the board were eight pictures, seemingly random people at first sight. All of them went missing from National city in the past year … and all of them were known aliens. Were all of them taken like Seven? For testing?

She’d been looking into that doctor, too, but Müller was a very common German based, name. She’d found one scientist with that name who came over to the US after the war, but he’d be an old man by now and that didn’t match Lena’s description. She stared at the sketch of the man, drawn up with Lena’s help.

Maggie got that feeling in her gut again and pulled a file from the stack. It contained the information of her search for the doctor. She started to browse the folder until she suddenly stopped, “Shit.” She pulled out a faded photograph. It was dated December 1946.

She dialed Alex on her phone, “Hey Babe, I think I’ve found our doctor. Professor Jacob Müller ...” She held up the photograph next to the sketch, it was nearly identical. “One problem, according to my file, he’d be 110 years old …”

 

* * *

 

 

She was barely conscious when the two men dragged her through the hallway. They opened a small, dark cell and threw her inside. With her hands chained behind her back, Seven fell hard, landing on her shoulder and hitting her head. She crawled to the corner and laid there, her knees pulled up, trying to curl into the smallest form possible. She didn’t even notice the blood seeping from the gash in her head. It would heal up quickly enough on its own.

Her body hurts. Every muscle screaming in agony. Her skin burning.

She closed her eyes and began the ritual she started when she was captured. She thought about all the people she met, the friends she made. Every time they dragged her to the cell, battered and bloody, she tried to envision their faces, their voices. J’onn, Winn and James, Alex and Maggie. She remembered Kara’s smile, her laugh and good heart. And she remembered Lena most of all. The way her voice would change when she was excited about a project. Or when it lowered almost an octave while they made love. She remembered her scent, her perfume, her shampoo and underneath that, just Lena. And she remembered her eyes, those green orbs that looked at her with such adoration.

But as time passed, Seven found it harder and harder to keep remembering. She felt her memories fade away, like dreams when waking up in the morning. Every time she gave over to the darkness, her life as Seven was slipping further. She blacked out quickly this time, unconsciousness giving her the relief her body was craving for.

 

* * *

 

 

“How is that even possible?” Alex was pacing in front of Lena’s desk as the CEO sat typing away on her computer. In front of her lay the picture Maggie found.

Lena didn’t look up, “It’s him. No doubt.”

Kara sat next to Lena on the desk, her legs swinging. She tried to follow what Lena was doing, but gave up after a few minutes.

“Maybe he’s an alien himself? Or a meta-human?” Maggie was leaning against the desk next to Kara. She knew Lena was hacking into something, but decided to just ignore it. Sometimes even the best cops had to look the other way.

Alex stopped and looked at the others, an idea just hit her. “Seven’s cellular regeneration! It slows down the aging process significantly. Made it impossible to tell how old she is.” She started pacing again, “What if Müller found a way to replicate it on himself? … It shouldn’t be impossible … to create some sort of serum from her blood cells … He would need regular doses though.” The bioengineer within her saw the possibilities. She also realized those cells needed to come from her bone marrow and extracting those is both difficult and painful.

“That would explain why he wanted her back so badly … If his supply ran out …” Maggie shook her head.

They fell silent, lost in thought. The only sound in the room the tapping of Lena’s keyboard.

Suddenly Lena gasped, “I think I found him … But you won’t like how.”

Alex ran over to the other side of the desk and looked at the screen, “Did you just hack into classified government files?” She looked closer, “This is serious classified shit … Even my clearance level isn’t high enough.” She started scanning the files and paled slightly. 

Maggie stood a little straighter at her reaction, “What?”

Alex looked at her and her sister, “Reports about alien testing, from the ’40s to ’70s … Under government funding … Covered up. I knew that happened, it’s one of the reasons the DEO was founded, to end those atrocities … But to see it in black and white ….” She shook her head, “Our guy is listed as one of the lead scientists ... On Project S. Whatever that is.”

“Seven’s tattoo … S7 … She was part of that project.” Lena closed her eyes, she really didn’t want to continue reading that file.

Kara hopped off the desk, “You know, finding all this is great and all, but we’re not getting any closer to finding Seven.”

“Wait!” Alex scanned the files further. “I have locations … Old bases.”

Maggie stepped closer, “Anything close to National?” She knew the base of operations couldn’t be that far from the city.

Alex looked up and nodded, “There’s one just a couple of miles out.”

Kara was already grabbing her shirt and walking towards the window, ready to go all Supergirl and kick some ass.

“Oh no, Little Danvers,” Maggie held her back, “You are not going into that potential dangerous situation alone. It’s only a 20-minute drive.” She waved the keys of her truck in her hand. “Let’s go.”

Kara sighed, but gave in, following Maggie to the door. Lena grabbed her coat and followed, there was no way she was staying behind.

Alex sighed. Bringing a civilian probably wasn’t a good idea, but she was starting to know the headstrong CEO and arguing would get them nowhere. She’d just have her stay in the car, or try to anyway. “You know I have to call J’onn and inform him …” She followed the others out. There was no one really listening to her. She just hoped he wouldn’t kill them if he found out how they got that information. 

 

* * *

 

 

The loud clanging of the keys roused Seven out of the darkness, they had come for her again. She had no idea how much time had passed. Two men walked in and grabbed her under the arms. They dragged her out of the cell, Seven didn’t even protest.

A few minutes later she was strapped to a table. Heavy, metal gauntlets covered her lower arms and wrapped around her ankles. Doctor Müller stood next to her, a sinister smile on his face. He reached out and tied Seven’s head to the table with a leather strap, the strap slipping between her teeth. Her fingers clawed at the table, her body tensed. She knew what was about to happen.

Müller stepped back and took a drill from a desk. Then, he reached over to a switch and hit it.

An electric current shot through the bound woman. Her body seizing up, her teeth biting down on the leather strap. She tried to scream but her locked jaw didn’t allow it. It went on for a couple of minutes, in Seven’s mind it could have been hours, before Müller shut the power down and fired up his drill. There was only one way to shut down Seven’s regeneration ability long enough to get to her bones and that was to overload it. He bared Seven’s upper leg and went to work. This time she did scream.

 

* * *

 

 

It was an old abandoned warehouse in a rundown area just outside of the city. Many decades ago, it was a busy industrial zone. Now it was a desolate place, a good place to hide something, or so the foursome thought. 

Maggie parked her truck and they got out. Kara, now in her Super suit, scanned the building and sighed, “There’s no one here.” She looked at her sister for guidance. Alex just shrugged and pulled her gun, “Let’s check it out anyway.” She looked at Lena, “Stay here.”

“The hell I will,” Lena crossed her arms over her chest. She heard Maggie chuckle and rummage in her truck. The petite woman appeared with a bulletproof vest, which she tossed at Lena. She had an inkling the other woman wouldn’t stay behind.

Lena accepted it with a small smile and pulled it on, ignoring Alex’s protests. Finally, Alex rolled her eyes and waved them over, “You stay behind us.” She told Lena, who nodded.

They entered the building carefully, Supergirl in the lead with her sister only half a step behind. Maggie stayed with Lena, her gun at the ready. She took a good look around and holstered her gun. The place was so dusty it was clear no one had been in there for many years. Her eyes found Alex’s and she shook her head. There was nothing to be found here.

Supergirl flew off and zipped around the building. A couple of seconds later she reappeared with the same message, nothing.

Lena turned around and headed back outside, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. Finally they thought they had a lead. But it led them nowhere.

Supergirl looked down at her feet, she felt a tremor on the ground. “Wait … Do you guys feel that?” Lena looked back and frowned, as did Maggie and Alex. “Feel what?” She asked.

“The ground is shaking …” was all Supergirl got out before all hell broke loose …

 

* * *

 

It had been hours and by now Seven was slipping in and out of consciousness. Her reality and her dreams were fading into each other and she couldn’t tell them apart anymore. Seven’s body seized up once more when Müller pushed through another current. Her mind taking her back in time, a long way back in time.

She stood in a field, overlooking the carnage around her. Bodies were strewn everywhere, machinery lay in pieces between them. Several people moved between the wreckage, stripping away any materials still of use. They all wore red colors on their uniforms. Most of the dead wore blue. She looked down and noticed that she, too, wore red. As did the man standing next to her. He was older but stood straight, an impressive sight in his bright red clothes. Seven noticed he had the same coloring as her, the same sandy blonde hair and slightly tanned skin. And, when he finally turned to look at her, she looked into eyes so similar to her own. She felt, maybe not love, but respect for this man ... Her king … Her father.

“You fought well today.” He finally said, a hint of pride in his voice. “More than I can say about your brothers … At least you kept your company alive.”

“There wasn’t much resistance. Most of them were farmers. Their weapons old. Barely worth the scavenging.” She heard herself say, her voice cold but tinged with regret, which the man picked up on.

He stared into her eyes, “Never forget who you are! You are Noor, you are my daughter. We are Noor and they are beneath us. They will always bow to us, to you!” He grabbed her by the shoulder, hard, “To you, Djinn Cadash, daughter of Noor!”

The dream faded away and she opened her eyes, electricity still surging through her body. She screamed. Alarms from the machines attached to her started to go off and she ripped an arm free out of the gauntlet. She reached for her neck and ripped off the collar, shooting electricity through the room. Müller tried to go for the kill switch, to shut the power down, but was thrown backwards as the machine exploded. Several other guards who were in the room got hit and dropped to the ground, lifeless, their bodies smoking.

She pulled free from the rest of her bindings and stood, the air surrounding her crackling with purple energy. “I am Noor,” she said and watched Müller crawl to his feet, his dark eyes wide in fear. “And now you die!” The energy around her formed a shield, which grew to envelop the room, drowning out Müller’s scream. Then it exploded …

 

* * *

 

 

Kara had felt it coming, with her super speed, she grabbed Alex and Maggie by the arm and flew them outside, taking hold of Lena on the way. She pushed them all out, seconds before the ground fell from under their feet. A column of purple light rose high up into the sky, tearing the warehouse apart. Kara threw herself over her friends, trying to shield them from the falling rubble. When it finally stopped raining debris, they sat up, stunned.

“What the fuck?” Maggie got out, staring at the crater left in the ground.

Alex’s comms beeped and she hit them absently, “yeah?” She was still half in shock.

Winn’s voice came through, “Alex, I’ve just picked up Seven’s energy signal …”

“Yeah, I bet.” Alex interrupted, still sounding off-kilter. She took a deep breath and stood, getting herself back together.

“W-What?”

“Winn? It’s Kara. We were at the site of the explosion.” Kara watched Lena stand and move closer to the crater. She moved to follow her. 

Alex reached down to help Maggie up, but her girlfriend winced as she tried to put weight on her leg. Some falling debris had hit her. “Damn,” Maggie cursed.

Alex hit her comms, “Maggie’s hurt. She and Lena are staying outside. I’m going to explore the site with Supergirl. Send backup to our location.”

It was J’onn who answered, “Copy that, be carefull Agent. Don’t head in too far. I’m on my way.”

Maggie was glaring at her girlfriend and tried to take a step forward, almost crumpling to the ground in pain, Alex holding her arm the only thing keeping her standing. She sighed, “Fine … I’m staying. But you better get your ass back here Danvers!” Alex gave her a soft smile.

Lena stood at the edge of the crater, staring into the hole. It was deep and dark, but it was clear there was a base of some sort underneath. She looked up at Kara, who stepped up next to her. “Seven’s down there.”

Kara nodded, “I’m getting her out. I promise.”

“I know … I trust you.”

Alex appeared next to her sister, holding her alien gun. “Stay with Maggie, Lena. J’onn and the rest of the DEO are on their way.” She watched Lena nod and put an arm around her sister’s shoulder. The two jumped into the hole.

Lena looked until they disappeared from view and then went to Maggie, helping the other woman to her truck. “This sucks,” Maggie said. Lena couldn’t agree more.

 

* * *

 

The emergency lights were flickering, casting the area in an eerie yellowish glow. Alex turned on her flashlight and looked around. The place was wrecked, but it was still recognisable as a lab. 

Kara scanned the area, “No lifesigns here.” Not surprising giving the destruction. The beam of Alex’s light fell on a white labcoat. 

Alex nudged the body, turning it, “Guess we found Müller ... Or what’s left of him.” With a look at her sister, she moved to the door, ripped of it’s hinges by the blast. Kara went through first, Alex at her back. 

They moved through the corridor, passing several bodies on the way, all of them dead. Some of them wore labcoats, others tactical gear. They all looked, well, fried.

Kara suddenly stopped and looked at the wall, “I hear something.” She smashed through. Alex followed and shone her light around the room, she could hear something now too, whimpering. Her light landed on a small form huddled in the corner. Kara crouched next to it, “Hi.” She kept her voice soft, realising it was a young boy.

The boy lifted his eyes, trembling in fear. His eyes widened when he recognized Supergirl. “I know you.” His voice was small, in awe of the hero who smiled down at him. 

Alex hit her coms, “We found a child down here … I think he’s one of the missing aliens Maggie was investigating.” She recognised him from the pictures.

“I’m here, moving to your location,” J’onn answered. About a minute later, they heard him approach, several DEO agents at his back. He glanced at the child and sighed. He crouched down next to Kara. “My name is J’onn. Can you tell us what happened here?”

The boy looked up at him, trying to decide whether to trust this man or not. Then he relaxed his posture somewhat, though his eyes stayed big and scared. “My name is Rune. I miss my mom. Will you take me back to my mom?”

Kara smiled at him, “Of course we will, I promise!”

The boy nodded, “There was a lady. She was nice. Smiled at me when she saw me, told me to be brave and that everything would be ok … but she got sad … didn’t smile anymore …” He took a deep breath and whispered the rest, “I think she went crazy.”

J’onn looked up at Alex, exchanging a glance, both realising that it was Seven who caused all this death and destruction. He looked back at the boy, “Agent Hendrix ... Nick … will take you outside. He’ll take care of you and I promise we’ll take you to your mother as soon as possible. You’re safe now.”

The agent stepped forward and handed his gun to a colleague. He gave the boy a smile and crouched, holding out his arms. The boy went into them willingly, after only a small hesitation. The two retreated to go back to the surface.

Kara stood, “We need to find her. I promised Lena.” She’d seen the look between her sister and J’onn. She didn’t want to believe it.

Alex just nodded, the grip on her gun tight. “Let’s move.”

The group moved deeper into the base, the sounds of gunfire and screaming men growing louder with every step. 

They passed through a hallway when the wall exploded. Several DEO agents got hit by rocks and dropped to the ground, only Kara’s super reflexes saved her sister from the same fate. 

Before anyone could react, Kara flew into the hole and landed in the center of the room beyond. She froze.

Seven stood tall, one arm stretched, hand wrapped around the neck of a lab technician. He was clearly dead, his head hung at an odd angle. Hearing movement behind her, she dropped the man and turned, staring at the woman behind her.

As soon as Kara looked into Seven’s eyes, she knew that this woman was not her friend, not anymore. Seven’s eyes were deep blue, warm and kind. This person’s eyes were cold, dark and distant. Her posture was different also. While Seven had the tendency to stoop slightly, she now stood tall, arrogant almost. 

“Who are you?” Kara asked.

The woman lifted her chin, “I am Djinn, Djinn Cadash.” The air continues to crackle with energy, forming a bubble around her. “I am Noor.”

“Do you remember who I am? Do you remember us?” Kara saw her sister appear through the hole, J’onn right behind her.

“I carry the memories of the time I called myself Seven. They’re faded, but they are there. So yes, I remember you, Kara Zor-El. You were kind to me.” She looked at Alex and J’onn, both with their guns raised. Several DEO agents had followed them. Then she looked back at Kara.“I will not harm you or yours. But you will leave, now, and let the rest of this vermin meet their fate.” She spoke slow but sure, in the voice of someone used to giving orders … and having them followed without question.

Kara dropped her eyes and sighed, “You know I can’t do that. These people are humans … and yes, some of them have done terrible things. But they don’t all deserve to die.”

“Terrible things?!” The energy around Djinn surged for a moment, as she let her control slip. She took a breath and it died down, returning it to its shimmering state. “You have no idea what they have done. These humans …” She spat on the ground, “A pathetic species. Weak and frail. Scared of the universe on one side, megalomaniac on the other. You call yourself their hero, their protector. But if your pod had landed 50 years earlier, you could have been me.” She looked at J’onn, “He knows the truth. Why else hide who you really are for so long?”

J’onn did not lower his gun, “True, but mankind has evolved since then. And will continue to do so. Thats where the DEO comes in. We cannot let you kill these people.”

Djinn huffed, “Do you really think you can stop me? Seven’s powers were just a tip of the iceberg ... I am Noor ... I have destroyed armies.” She hesitated only a moment, “I will end you if you stand in my way.”

Kara crossed her arms, sad that it came to this, but ready to stop this threat to her world. 

With a sigh, Djinn closed her eyes. The energy surrounding her grew. “So be it.” She opened her eyes and swept her right arm forward, shooting electricity towards Kara, hitting her right in the chest and throwing her into the wall. Her left arm swept towards J’onn and Alex, the Martian just managed to dive out of the way with Alex. Two other agents weren’t fast enough and got thrown, neither got back up.

Kara, leaving a super-sized hole in the wall, got back up and shook it off. She was relieved to see her sister unhurt and knew this wasn’t a fight for humans. “Alex! J’onn! Evacuate the base!” She shot laser beams at Djinn, which were deflected by the shield she put up.

Alex frowned, she never liked leaving Kara in battle. She watched her sister fly towards Djinn, turning the battle physical. In a cloud of purple smoke, Djinn disappeared, just evading Kara’s fist aimed for her head. She reappeared behind Kara, kicking her in the back. Kara stumbled forward, but quickly regained her footing. 

J’onn grabbed Alex by the shoulder, “First we evacuate.” Alex nodded and signalled the rest of the men. They needed to do a full sweep of the base.

 

* * *

 

 

Lena was pacing at the crater site, Maggie leaning against her truck wishing she could do the same. Her leg was better, now feeling like a bad sprain. She limped over to Lena and took her arm, stopping the woman. “You’re making me dizzy, Luthor. They’ll be ok.” Though, Maggie had to admit she was getting worried herself. It has been a while since that agent carrying the boy came up.

Maggie had recognised him immediately, she had spent enough time staring at his picture. She called her partner at NCPD and explained the situation as best as she could. The man would contact the boy’s family and meet them at the hospital, the boy already on his way there.

The two looked up when they heard commotion in the crater. Agents started to appear, some holding people in handcuffs, others supporting wounded. Finally, at the end, Maggie spotted her girlfriend. She looked unhurt but sported a deep frown. Maggie took her hand when she reached her. “What happened?”

An explosion rocked the area, making everyone duck for cover. Lena looked at Alex, “Seven?” Alex gave her a sad look.

With a tilt of his head J’onn suggested they move away from the others and stepped back a little, his second in command following. “We might have to make the decision.” He said, knowing Kara and her gentle heart would argue against any lethal measures.

Alex nodded, “A bullet through the head … destroying the brainstem.” It was a hard choice, but she would protect her sister and so her world. It was her duty.

Lena hadn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she did anyway. And she could put two and two together.

More explosions rattled the area, startling everyone. Lena looked around. Maggie stood, leaning on Alex and arguing with J’onn. She, too, must have realised what they were planning. The rest of the DEO agents were busy containing prisoners and helping victims. No one was paying attention to her.

Lena moved to the crater, trying not to attract interest, and grabbed the rope ladder. She was glad she decided to wear pants and sneakers today, skipping her dress and heels. She dropped into the hole.

Kara was crawling back to her feet. Her suit was dirty with a few rips and smoking. She was panting, but otherwise unharmed. 

On the other side of the room, Djinn was doing the same, the rubble from the collapsed wall shifting as she dragged her body from underneath. Any wounds she got were healing on their own. Djinn laughed, though she could feel her energy draining. “I could do this all day, Kara … But you, don’t you need the sun or something to keep going?”

It was then that Kara realised that her powers were weakening indeed. More and more stones where dropping from the ceiling, the explosions taking their toll. The base was collapsing. “We can still stop this! Please, Sev!”

Djinn faltered, hearing the nickname Kara frequently used. “My name is Djinn!” She turned when hearing a gasp behind her and froze when she met the green of Lena’s eyes. 

Lena had followed the path of destruction and the noise of the battle until she found them. Kara, looking worse for wear, facing off against Seven, her love, still wearing what's left of the clothes Lena bought her. 

“You shouldn’t have come,” Djinn had closed her eyes and spoke, sad. Though the memories were faded, she could still feel them, feel what this human had meant to her. “Your Seven doesn’t exist anymore.”

Lena took a step closer, ignoring Kara’s protests. “I refuse to believe that. Didn’t I tell you that whoever you were in the past, you’d always be Seven to me?”

“I am not a good person, I am Noor. I am bred to conquer worlds. To destroy … And right now, I will destroy this base and everyone still in it. So please, leave.” Djinn stared at Lena, the base slowly crumbling around them. Kara shifted from foot to foot, not knowing what to do.

Back on the surface, Maggie was in a heated discussion with J’onn. “You cannot be serious.” She glanced at her girlfriend, who remained silent, “Alex … There has to be another way … Besides killing our friend, besides blowing her fucking brains out!” 

Alex looked to the ground, “I’m not sure there’s much of Seven left in there.” 

Maggie threw up her hands in frustration. Her eyes fell on the space next to her, where a certain green-eyed CEO was supposed to be, “Wait…” She looked around, not seeing Lena anywhere. “Shit, where’s Luthor?” She groaned, “She went after Seven.”

Tightening her grip on her gun, Alex moved back to the crater, “I’m going back in.” J’onn was at her back.

Just as they reached the crater’s edge, the earth started to rumble. Alex jumped back and watched the crater start to cave in. “Shit.” She ran a hand through her hair.

“No one is going back down there,” J’onn said, “They’re on their own now.”

 

* * *

 

Big chunks of concrete were dropping from the ceiling all around them, dust filling the air. Lena coughed, holding her arms over her head. Djinn didn’t take her eyes off her, “Kara! Take Lena and get out!”

“No!” Lena looked at her in defiance, “I will not leave you!”

Then the ceiling collapsed.

Before Kara could blink, Djinn had teleported to Lena, took her in an embrace and they disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke.

Kara, seeing that she was left alone, flew up to the surface, crashing through the rocks, the base around her collapsing.

Alex saw her sister shoot through the air and sighed in relief. Kara hovered in the air, looking around, before landing at Alex’s side. “Sev … Djinn … teleported out with Lena. They can’t have gotten far.” Kara wasn’t about to lose another friend. 

Raising a hand, Alex gathered the attention of her men, “Spread out! Search the area!” She yelled, her order followed immediately as an entire squad of DEO agents teamed in pairs and headed off in every direction.

Djinn appeared several miles further, Lena cradled against her chest. The CEO slowly opened her eyes, keeping her head tucked into the taller woman, listening to the steady beat of her heart.

They stayed like that for long moments, Djinn’s long arms wrapped tight around Lena, her nose buried in Lena’s raven hair. 

Lena felt Djinn shake and tried to look up when she felt wetness drop on her head, Djinn just held her tighter. 

“I can’t believe I almost forgot you,” Djinn said, her voice soft and breaking. She took a ragged breath, “Maker, what have I done …”

Lena pulled away a little and lifted a hand to Djinn’s cheek, wiping at the tears. The woman had her head down and her shoulders hunched, tears slipping through closed eyelids. “Look at me.” Deep blue eyes opened and Lena still saw the hurt and the anger shimmer in them. But Lena also saw regret, shame perhaps, and the little twinkle that was so Seven. She heard footsteps approaching, fast. “You have to surrender, please. They will shoot to kill.” Lena was almost begging, but she didn’t care.

Djinn reached for Lena, cradling her cheek, “Perhaps that wouldn’t be so bad.” She placed a soft kiss on Lena’s forehead. Then she stepped back, just as the first agents reached their position, guns ready.

Kara landed in front of Lena, dropping off her sister who took position with the rest of the team. She noticed Djinn’s stance, defeated. “It’s over.” 

Djinn looked at Alex. She knew the redhead would be the only one with enough guts to pull the trigger. And with the right aim to make it count. But then her eyes fell back on Lena’s. Those greens were wide with fright and she sighed. She didn’t want Lena’s last memory of her to be her brains laying on the ground. 

Perhaps this was not the day for this Noor to die. 

With a nod, Djinn slowly raised her hands and dropped to her knees. She could almost feel the air of relief passing through the space. 

Alex moved forward and holstered her gun. She took a pair of reinforced handcuffs from her belt and proceeded to cuff Djinn. Then she helped her stand and drew her gun again. “One twitch and I shoot, understand?” She spoke softly so only Djinn, and Kara, could hear her. Alex knew that if Djinn really wanted to go, those cuffs wouldn’t hold her. Djinn nodded once and let Alex lead her to the van, eyes glued to the floor.

“You ok?” Kara asked Lena, as they watched the van drive away. 

Lena gave her a sad smile, “I’m fine. Just worried …. What will happen next?”

“I’m not sure,” Kara had to admit. “But we’ll face it, together.”

Once again, Lena counted herself lucky to have such a wonderful friend.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10 everyone! And it promises to be quit a ride. It was for me writing it anyway! We're nearing the end of this story, only one more chapter and an epilogue to go. 
> 
> As always, thanks to Rebellion_Bear for my grammar clean-up!
> 
> Enjoy

Djinn sat on a cot in the training room of the DEO, the dampeners around the platform on high, giving the room a reddish glow and forming a barrier Djinn could not cross. She had her head in her hands, wondering where it all went so terribly wrong. The door opened and she looked up.

Alex and Kara walked in, followed by Lena, all three looking rather uncomfortable. The two sisters stayed back a bit and Lena stepped forward. Djinn stood and moved to the edge of the barrier, her sad eyes on Lena.

“I’m not sure what to call you …” Lena started, hesitant. 

Djinn shrugged, “I’m not either. I was born Djinn Cadash … But maybe I’d be better off if I’d just stayed Seven.” 

Kara stepped closer, “Do you remember how you got here? On earth I mean?”

With a nod, Djinn started her story, “I was on my way from my homeworld to another, recently conquered, planet. My ship … malfunctioned … The only way I could save myself from being blown to pieces was to go warpspeed. I figured I could just warp back after I fixed the problem. But my warp drive had been tampered with and I went too far, too fast. I barely managed to break out of it before it would have torn me apart. By then I was in a galaxy I’d never heard of and too close to this planet to avoid a collision.” She took a breath, “So I crashed here. My powers allowed me to shield my ship before impact … That’s the only reason I survived. That was around 1920 I guess … Next thing I know, my ship was surrounded and I was captured and taken somewhere underground. Didn’t see daylight for years, decades.” She really didn’t want to talk about what had happened during her capture, not now, not with Lena in the room.

“Your ship was tampered with?” Alex asked, she could imagine the horrors Djinn went through during captivity and now was not the time to delve into that further.

“Yes … My brother probably …” Djinn remembered the look in Loran’s eyes before she left. The man loathed her and the feeling was mutual.

Kara gawked, “Your brother?! That’s horrible.”

Djinn just shrugged, “That’s the way of the Noor. As it had always been. It was my own fault for not double checking.”

“The Noor … You mentioned that before.” Kara thought for a moment, “There was a children’s rhyme back on Krypton about the Noor. It was not a happy one, meant to scare children who misbehaved.”

Djinn snorted, “I bet … Noor are ... elite. When we come to a planet, we come to conquer. Any resistance is dealt with in a lethal manner. The remaining population enslaved. The armies under our command don’t show mercy.” She closed her eyes and swallowed, why was she feeling bad about this. It is supposed to fill her with pride.

“Do all Noor have powers like you?” Alex asked.

“The Noor are ten families … all children are genetically engineered to possess a certain ability. The first child is born a natural leader, he has the ability to instill courage and diminish fear. The second child is a berserker, a fighting machine. His abilities are purely offensive. The third child is a sentinel, one who defends, whose abilities shields their allies. The fourth is a healer and so on.” She paused for a moment, seeing everyone is still following, “Because of our long lifespans, Noor are only allowed two children. They cannot have more unless one dies.” She saw Lena frown and knew the smart woman had it all figured out already. “My father is not one to follow the rules. He had engineers create him a third child ... me ... with the abilities of the fourth combined. It took them some tries but they finally got a somewhat successful result. I am a sentinel and I can heal myself, but not others.” She looked at Alex, seeing that she was taking notes on a tablet, “The soldiers in our armies have no special powers, but rely on machinery to fight.”

“Is there any chance these … Noor ... will come to earth?” The redhead needed to assess this possible threat.

Djinn shook her head, “Not likely. This galaxy is too remote from Baloria, our homeworld.” She didn’t miss the look of relief passing through Alex’s eyes.

They fell silent, reflecting on all the information revealed. Djinn looked at each of the other women. Alex was busy typing on her tablet, always the DEO agent. Her sister looked a little lost, Supergirl was better in handling problems she could hit with her fists. And Lena, Lena just looked sad, her eyes down. Djinn sighed, the last thing she wanted was to cause Lena pain. Perhaps she needed to try and get out of her life as quickly as possible. “What will happen to me?” She asked, looking at Alex.

The redhead looked up from her tablet, “We’re not sure yet. J’onn is negotiating terms with the president … Your surrender will work in your favor.” 

Djinn nodded and stepped back, returning to her cot. 

Kara turned to Lena, “Want me to take you home?” They were all very tired. 

Lena gave her a sad smile and a nod. With one last, lingering look at Djinn, she left the room, Kara following. 

Alex watched them go. “I’ll keep you updated,” she told Djinn before she left, leaving the tall woman alone with her thoughts.

 

* * *

 

 

Kara landed on Lena’s balcony, the CEO held in her arms. Lena was asleep, her head tucked into Kara’s neck, breathing softly. Kara fumbled into the hidden pocket in her cape for the key Lena had given her and unlocked the door. She carried Lena inside and proceeded to her bedroom, where she placed Lena on her bed, removed her shoes and covered her with the blanket. This was the first time Lena ever fell asleep during flight, the CEO’s fear of flying keeping her tense and alert. Reaching down, she brushed a stray lock of hair from her friend’s forehead and sighed. Lena looked exhausted, pale with dark circles under her eyes. It had been a stressful time since Seven was taken. Kara hoped her friend would find some rest now. She decided to stay and keep Lena company, she could use some herself. 

Grabbing an old shirt and sweatpants Lena had leant her before, she changed out of her suit and lay down on the other side of the bed, keeping an eye on her friend.

She hoped things would work out, for all their sakes.

 

* * *

 

The real Hank Henshaw crossed the room with big strides, light reflecting from the metal in his face. He approached the desk and Lillian Luthor looked up from her screen. “It’s true. The base is destroyed, Müller is dead.”

Lillian frowned, “That’s a shame. We could have used a man like him to form the new future. Any leads on what happened?”

“Our man on the inside confirmed it. Your daughter’s bed toy blew the place up. Guess they bit off more than they could chew. The DEO has her in custody.”

Lillian took a breath, “We move our plan up. Contact our man. Tomorrow will bring a new dawn, one without the DEO. One where CADMUS will reign and bring forth a better world.” The cyborg nodded and turned, striding away. 

Lillian took her phone and dialed a number. “We’re set,” was the only thing said, a smile creeping on her face.

 

* * *

 

 

A man walked through the park in the centre of National City. The sun was setting and the place was busy, many people making their way home from work. He walked to a bench and sat down, looking at the people around him and thought about home. Home was far away for the man, on a planet long gone from the galaxy. He closed his eyes and could see his wife, looking as good as the day he met her, playing with his son and daughter. They all smiled at him.

He would go there, they said. When he finished this task, they would take him there, to his wife and children. He opened his eyes and stared at the people moving about. He just hoped no one would notice the bomb strapped to his chest.

 

* * *

 

Inside the DEO, in the holding cell area, several agents walked through the hallways talking amongst themselves. They barely paid attention to the prisoners they guarded. All of them just stared in the distance anyway, barely moving. No one saw the subtle shift in their posture, the glint in their eyes as they tilted their heads, waiting.

Several levels higher, an agent made his way through the base. He passed another agent who frowned and stopped him, “What are you doing here? You don’t have the clearance level for this area.” The man rushed him, covering his mouth and slamming a knife between his ribs. He hoisted the body on his shoulder and continued on his way. Reaching his destination, he opened the door with the keycard from the dead man and dropped the body inside. He moved to the servers in the back and plugged in a flash drive. He smiled, mission completed.

 

* * *

 

 

Kara heard the explosion, far off in the distance. She opened her eyes and sat up on the bed, her movement waking Lena. She looked outside, noticing the setting sun. They couldn’t have been asleep more than an hour. “Kara … what? …” Lena mumbled, still half asleep. Her eyes widened when she heard the sirens and she stumbled out of bed, following Kara, already changed into her suit, to the window. A column of smoke rose up in the distance.

“I have to go,” Kara reached for the door, just as a second explosion rocked the air. This one much closer, rattling the windows in Lena’s building. It was quickly followed by a third and fourth, spread out through the city. Both women stared at the skyline, the burning skyline, with disbelief.

“I … I …” Kara stammered, looking confused. Lena cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes, “Go! They need you, Supergirl!” She watched Kara nod and take a deep breath, getting herself together. 

Kara stepped to the window and out on the balcony. She turned back to Lena, “Stay safe.” With a quick wave, she took off, following the sirens to the disaster zones.

Lena’s eyes followed her for as long as she could, “You too,” she whispered to the sky.

 

* * *

 

 

“Update!” Alex ran up to Winn’s desk, running her fingers through her hair to try and get it somewhat in order. The agent had been asleep in her quarters when the alarm came.

“Four explosions around the city. J’onn took a squad already to assist. Supergirl is on scene’,” Winn put several video feeds up on his computers. It was chaos. The first explosion happened at the park, dozens of innocent people getting home from work were caught in the crossfire. A metro station was the second to go, there was still no news about the number of casualties. The third bomb went off in a shopping center, the building still ablaze.

And the last one took out the lobby of L-Corp … Because of that, Alex thought this act of terrorism had CADMUS written all over it.

Alex looked at the screens, trying to figure out the plan of action. She noticed the firemen and police officers running all over and thought about her girlfriend. Maggie was on leave with her sprained ankle, but Alex would not be surprised to see her hobble out there somewhere. She called J’onn on the comms, “I’m taking another squad to L-Corp.”

“Copy that,” J’onn responded, there was a lot of static on the line so the man had to be in flight.

Alex ran to the door to get her squad prepared when the power went down.

 

* * *

 

 

Djinn opened her eyes and sat up on the cot. The energy in the room had changed, she felt it in her bones. She looked at the two armed guards posted by the door, who were frantically whispering in their earpiece. They opened the door and ran out, not bothering to close the door after them. More agents were running through the hallway.

“Hey! What’s going on?!” Djinn yelled, standing as close to the barrier as she could.

Then the lights went out … and with it the barrier vanished.

 

* * *

 

 

Winn was typing on his computers, sliding his chair from one end of the room to the other. Alex joined him. After a minute or so, they managed to get the emergency lights on, powered by the same separate source that kept their computers running. 

One by one, the computer screens went dark, only lines of numbers scrolling on them. “We’ve been hacked … How could we be hacked?” Winn said to himself. 

Alex was trying her comms but got only static. “Fix it!” she yelled at Winn. She was trying to unlock the doors, the systems had shut her out completely.

“What does it look like I’m doing …” Winn murmured as he continued to rattle his fingers on the keyboard. He frowned, “Whoever did this is good … It’s a virus, coded to overtake and retake everything. Every time I unlock something it finds it again.” He sighed in frustration, “There has to be a starting point, a point of origin.” He looked at Alex, “and it has to be here, in the base.” 

Alex went to a cabinet and rummaged around, finding a couple of old fashioned walkie-talkies. She checked them, found them still working, and gave one to Winn. “You can unlock the doors, one by one, and guide me to the source.” She took her gun. Someone placed that virus there … and Alex would bet that someone was still there. She walked to the door and nodded to Winn. With a few taps, he opened the door and Alex slipped out.

 

* * *

 

 

Lena was pacing in her appartment. That last blast was at her building, she just knew it. It had to be her mother behind this. But why? Random bombings didn’t sound like Lillian. There had to be more behind this, CADMUS had to have a bigger plan. Sadly, Lena knew it would unfold sooner rather than later.

Her mind made up, she grabbed her jacket and left, she wasn’t about to sit here doing nothing. She would head to L-Corp and see what she could do to help.

 

* * *

 

 

In the lower levels of the DEO, the power outage had similar effects, as the force fields of the holding cells flickered and finally died. The agents in the area were quickly overwhelmed by the prisoners, who jumped them at the first opportunity. Shots were fired and several of the prisoners fell, but the agents were hopelessly outnumbered and the locked doors gave them no way to escape.

 

* * *

 

 

Alex cursed when she heard the shots reverberate through the hallways. She pressed the button on her walkie. “Winn … I hear guns. I think from the holding area.” She waited for the reply.

Winn fumbled with the buttons on his walkie, he wasn’t used to this old tech, “The auxiliary power was down. The cells will have lost juice … But those prisoners … They barely moved … unless …”

“They were planted ….” Alex finished his sentence with a sigh. This wasn’t good. With Supergirl, J’onn and most agents out in the city, and no way to contact them, the base was overrun. She had to find the source of the virus and eliminate it so help could arrive. “Lead me in further, Agent Schott. And try to get the cameras back on-line … I could use a pair of extra eyes.”

Winn took a deep breath. For Alex to call him ‘Agent Schott’ meant this was serious. “Copy that, Agent Danvers. It’s not that far. You should see a stairway to your left in a bit, go down … And Alex …. Please be careful.”

Alex sighed and nodded, even though no one could see it. Steeling herself, she started to move.

 

* * *

 

 

Supergirl used her ice breath to put out the fires at the shopping center, the firemen waving at her in thanks. She’d saved fourteen people trapped inside, but could hear no more signs of life and she sighed, sad, closing her eyes in a little prayer. There would be hundreds of casualties between the four bombings, hundreds of people who wouldn’t make it back home, hundreds of people she wasn’t able to save.

She looked up at J’onn, in full martian mode, who flew up next to her. “We should get over to the next site. L-Corp.” He didn’t add that Alex and her squad hadn’t checked in yet. Without a word, Supergirl flew away, J’onn at her heels.

 

* * *

 

 

“Luthor!”

Lena turned when hearing the familiar voice call out for her and saw Maggie walk towards her, still with a pronounced limp. “Aren’t you on leave, Detective?” 

Maggie grimaced, “Yeah, well a terrorist attacks kinda trumps that … Couldn’t stay home while my city is on fire … And word on your people?”

Lena sighed, “I saw Jess, she’s got a concussion. Got hit in the head by falling bricks, but she’ll be fine. Several others are on their way to the hospital … At least ten people were in the lobby when the bomb went off … They didn’t make it.” First thing in the morning, Lena would get started on practical and financial compensations for all her employees. The people around them started to point up in the sky and Lena caught a glimpse of a red and blue blur. “The cavalry is here,” she said relief tinting her voice.

Maggie frowned, “Why isn’t the rest of the DEO here?” She expected at least one squad to have arrived by now, to aid the NCPD and the fire brigade. She shrugged, figuring they’d been held up at the other blast sites.

 

* * *

 

 

Alex was nearing the area Winn was sure was the location of the source. She had her gun at the ready as she rounded a corner, nearly tripping over the body of an agent. “Shit,” she cursed, keeping her voice low. She pressed two fingers to his throat but already knew she would not find a pulse. There were nine other bodies spread through the hall, four were agents. Blood was splattered on the walls, nothing moved.

She crossed the floor with slow steps, checking every body she found on the way. When she reached the end, she ducked behind the corner and peeked around it. There were two men standing a couple of feet away, both armed with guns they took from the agents. Alex took a deep breath before moving around the corner. 

The first man didn’t know what hit him, as Alex’s shot hit him right between the eyes. The second managed to get a few shots off, missing their target completely, before he fell, a gaping hole in his chest. Alex ducked back behind the corner, waiting to see if the noise got any attention. She took a couple of deep, slow breaths. 

When Alex was convinced there wasn’t going to be more company, she continued on her way. 

The server room was just up ahead. Alex crouched behind the corner, staking it out. There were six men outside, at least three of them armed with guns. She had no way of knowing what was waiting for her inside the room. 

Alex frowned, she needed to get in that room but charging them head-on was suicide. She sighed and stood, deciding to head back to Winn. They had to find another way. 

A noise got her attention and to her horror, three men charged her from the other direction. Alex evaded a fist and slammed her elbow into a face, dropping the first of her assailants with a crushed nose. She fired her gun at the second, and slammed its butt into the face of the third, before tackling him with her shoulder and throwing them both to the ground. Alex got up first and kicked the man in the head, knocking him out cold. She turned when hearing movement behind her, the men guarding the door alerted by the sounds of the fighting, and staggered back when the bullet slammed into her body. 

It’s true what they say, that time slows down just before you’re about to die. Alex had been in that situation before, more times than she’d like to admit. She dropped to her knees and grabbed her side, blood dripping through her fingers. She looked up into the barrel of the gun about to end her life. 

So this is how Alex Danvers dies, she thought. At least it’s not in a fucking fish tank. She just hoped they wouldn’t let Maggie in to see her body. She saw the finger on the trigger tense and looked the man in the eye, defiant to the end.

Then there was a flash and a body barreled into the man, throwing off his aim, the bullet whizzing above Alex’s head. The agent looked with wide eyes at the imposing figure before her. 

Tall, dark and angry, still in the ripped blue shirt, Djinn crackled her energy around her, shielding Alex from further harm. She was pissed … Even with everything that had happened between them, Alex was still her friend. She took the barrel of the gun, the bullets being deflected by her shield, and ripped it from the man’s grasp. She used it as a club to knock him across the face, breaking bone. Before he hit the ground, she teleported to the rest of the men and engaged them in battle. 

Alex could only watch, feeling weaker with every passing second. The door to the server room opened and more men ran out, storming Djinn. The tall woman was holding her own, she was a blur of purple lightning and smoke, never in one place long enough to get hit, causing the men to shoot each other instead. Alex groaned and got to her feet, staying low and leaning against the wall with her shoulder. She moved to the server room, not noticing the streak of blood she left on the wall, and looked inside. 

An agent stood in front of the main network server, facing her, gun ready. Alex recognized him as one of the new recruits, he’d always rubbed her the wrong way. She didn’t hesitate and pulled the trigger, dropping him with a single shot. Alex dragged her body into the room, her gun slipping from trembling fingers. She reached for the server and pulled the flash drive from the port. Immediately, the server started humming, recovering from its infection. 

Alex sighed and fell to her knees with a grin on her face. Seven, no, Djinn, she had to remind herself, appeared by her side, holding her up. She let her head fall back against strong shoulders, barely conscious, and looked into deep blue eyes staring down at her with great concern. “Tell Mags I’m sorry,” she whispered, her body going limp.

Djinn tapped her on the cheek, “Alex, stay with me! …. Come one! Alex!” Alex’s eyes fluttered closed and her breathing stopped. “ALEX!” Djinn screamed ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me!
> 
> Chapter 11 is almost finished, so I won't leave you guys hanging for too long!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter people! Hope you all like it.

Djinn slumped over the body of her friend, silent tears slipped through her closed eyelids. She had her hand on Alex’s chest, right above her heart, and felt nothing. No breathing, no heartbeat. Her shoulders shook and Djinn blamed herself for not being just a little faster, only a moment sooner and she could have pushed Alex away. She didn’t see the tiny tendrils of lightning slip from her fingers and sink into the woman in her arms.

 

Alex trembled, barely noticeable, and Djinn’s eyes shot open in surprise. Looking at her hand, she saw it, the slight rising of Alex’s chest and she touched her neck, gasping when she found a heartbeat, weak and frail. She gathered Alex in her arms, cradling the limp form, and ran out of the room.

 

* * *

 

Winn was worried. He was trying to fix the communication channels, but they kept failing. Remnants of the virus still overloading the systems. He hadn’t heard back from Alex. 

 

She succeeded in removing the virus, that he knew, as his computers rebooted, yet she hadn’t been in contact since. Perhaps the ancient walkie talkie finally died, he tried telling himself, believing that Alex would show up any second now. He’d managed to unlock all the doors in the base so trapped agents could once again move freely and help apprehend the last of the escaped prisoners. He saw movement in the corner of his eye and turned. What he saw made his blood run cold.

 

Djinn stood in the doorway with a still and too pale Alex in her arms. Blood covered Djinn’s shirt and Winn was sure it wasn’t her own.

 

“No … nononono …” He managed to get out and moved closer.

 

“She's alive … Barely … She needs medical attention, now!”

 

Winn wrapped both his hands in his hair, “There are no doctors here right now… Only field agents. And I can’t seem to fix the communications...”

 

“I could take her to the hospital….”

 

“They are overrun …” He saw Djinn frown, “There’s been a terrorist attack, attacks … All the hospitals are overflowing.” 

 

Djinn turned and headed for the med bay, at least they had some supplies there. She placed Alex on the bed and watched Winn open a cupboard, pulling out a first aid kit. He had some basic training, but not nearly enough to save Alex.

 

“Wait!” He yelled suddenly, “Eliza … Alex and Kara’s mom … She’s like the best doctor in this galaxy.”

 

“Where is she?" Djinn asked, while pressing bandages to Alex’s side, trying to stop the bleeding. The woman looked deathly pale by now, her lips starting to go blue.

 

Winn groaned, “Midvale …” Then he thought of something, “You can teleport there and get her. You moved Lena out of that dungeon.”

 

Djinn sighed. “It doesn’t work that way. I can’t go to somewhere I haven’t been before … I have to envision the location … And taking someone with me is dangerous, very dangerous. That could kill us both.”

 

Winn grabbed his phone and scrolled through his pictures. He landed on a couple of shots from last year's Christmas party, at the Danvers. “Can you envision it from a picture?”

 

Djinn hesitated, “That's never been done before …” She looked at Alex, knowing she wouldn’t survive without help. “But I can try.” She looked at the picture for a moment and then closed her eyes. A moment later she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

 

Winn took her place by Alex’s side, keeping pressure on the wound. “Hang on Alex,” he whispered, “Please hang on.” He didn’t want to know what losing Alex would do to her sister … or him for that matter.

 

* * *

  
  


Eliza Danvers stood in her living room, watching the news about the attacks. She had a telephone in her hand and had been trying to reach her daughters, or any of their friends, for information about the bombings. She’d seen Supergirl appear in the newsflashes, so at least one of her daughters was relatively safe. The TV started to shimmer and Eliza frowned, they weren’t expecting a storm today. There was a loud crack, followed by a flash of light and smoke and a figure suddenly stood in her living room.

 

Eliza’s first instinct was to grab the gun from the chest next to the couch, it wasn’t exactly a friendly sight in front of her. It was a woman, a very tall and imposing one, in ripped clothing and … was that blood on her shirt?

 

Djinn looked around in confusion before her eye fell on the blond woman before her, she quickly held up her hands, indicating she meant no harm, though the blood covering her might not be a good indicator. “Are you Eliza Danvers?”

 

Eliza frowned but didn’t answer, she just gave a nod.

 

Djinn sighed, part one of this crazy plan had worked at least. “I am Djinn Cadash. I’m here because of your daughter.” She’s been hurt and needs your help.” The other woman’s eyes widened. “I can take you to her … Though I’m not sure how safe that would be …”

 

“My daughter trusts you?” Eliza asked and watched Djinn nod slowly, she wasn’t really sure if they still trusted her now. “Let me take my bag. Then take me to her.” She wasn’t about to take a chance on her daughter’s life. She moved to the hallway and took her bag, it stood ready, as always, in case of emergency. She approached Djinn and the woman pulled her against her body. 

 

Djinn took a deep breath and closed her eyes, picturing the med bay of the DEO. “Here we go,” she whispered and they disappeared.

 

Moments later, they appeared at their destination, Djinn sighing in relief. It was getting easier and easier to take someone with her. She released the woman in her arms and Eliza stepped back, a bit disoriented until her eyes fell on familiar boots on the table and a frantic Winn up to his elbows in blood. She pushed down the panic, going into full doctor mode was difficult with her daughter lying on the table, and ran over to assess the situation. She immediately checked Alex’s vitals and to her immense relief, found a weak heartbeat. “You’ll need to assist me.” She looked up at Winn, who nodded.

 

Winn looked at Djinn, who was still fidgeting in the same spot where she had appeared, not knowing what to do.” I can’t contact anyone outside the base. Someone has to tell the others what happened. Supergirl was last seen at L-Corp.”

 

Djinn nodded and vanished.

 

* * *

  
  


Kara was placing a couple of structural beams in the lobby of the building, just to make sure it wouldn’t come down completely any time soon. The last of the ambulances had just gone and the firefighters were finishing up. Kara tried not to look at the white tarps covering the dead, the coroners were on their way. She flew back outside and landed next to Lena and Maggie, great sadness in her eyes. “I don’t think there’s much left we can do here.”

 

Lena nodded and was about to reply when Djinn appeared in a cloud of smoke. Kara stepped forward, shielding the two women next to her with her body, she hadn’t forgotten their last encounter.

 

“There’s been an incident at the DEO,” Djinn began, she wasn’t sure how to tell the rest. She took a step forward, more into the street lights. J’onn landed next to Kara and eyed her.

 

Kara tensed as she noticed the blood on Djinn’s clothes, “Oh Rao! Are you hurt?” 

 

Djinn shook her head, “It’s not mine …” She spoke slowly and carefully, everyone picking up on her hesitation.

 

“Winn?” Kara squeaked and J’onn frowned, dropping his eyes. His mind-reading already told him the truth.

 

“No ... not Winn ...” Djinn’s voice was trembling as she looked at the others. 

 

Lena gasped, her hand covering her mouth. She reached for Maggie’s shoulder, the woman just looked shocked, the situation not sinking in completely yet.

 

“But … Then who? ...” Kara stammered. Her mind could not accept her sister, her strong and badass sister, being hurt. In Kara’s eyes, Alex was invincible … But the amount of blood covering Djinn’s clothes told another story. 

 

Djinn saw the change in Kara’s eyes, “Your mom is with her. Maybe you should be too.” 

 

“How … How bad is it?” Maggie’s voice, normally loud and proud, was breaking. Lena tried pulling her closer, a little surprised when the detective went willingly. 

 

Kara started pacing and murmuring, “This can’t be happening … Not again …” Without looking at the others, she flew off, heading for the DEO. She had to see it for herself.

 

J’onn looked at Djinn, “Can you take Detective Sawyer? I’ll follow shortly with Miss Luthor.”

 

Djinn nodded, she’s been teleporting with other people all over the place now. She was confident she could do it again. She walked over to Maggie and Lena, and took the detective in her arms. She glanced at Lena, mirroring the grief found in her eyes. She closed her eyes and the pair disappeared. 

 

She took them right outside the med bay, where it was still a hive of activity. Maggie stepped back and leaned against the wall, slowly sliding to the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest, staring into the distance. 

 

Djinn heard a crash and a second later Kara rushed in, almost barreling right through her. Djinn had to use a bit of shield to slow Kara down. “Let them work,” she said simply, but Kara pushed her aside and barged into the med bay. She froze when she saw her sister, pale and deathly still, on the table. Eliza, who didn’t even look up, Winn and two other agents (Vasquez and Aberdeen, if Kara remembered correct) assisting and machines humming, machines designed to keep a human alive. And there was so much blood …

 

Kara finally collapsed with a heartbreaking sob, Djinn right there to catch her. She didn’t see the thankful glance Eliza gave her, as she led Kara out of the room and let her sink next to Maggie on the floor. She looked up to see J’onn and Lena walk towards her.

 

“I’m going to debrief the rest of the agents and secure the base. Keep me updated,” J’onn said and left the area. He didn’t deal well with emotional situations. He would grieve later, if needed. He prayed it wouldn’t be needed.

 

Djinn looked at Lena, her head down and shoulders rounded against a day that had delivered blow after blow. Lena didn’t waste a moment and went into her arms, burying her face in Djinn’s chest, sighing when long arms held her close. She didn’t fight the tears this time, sobbing quietly.  

 

* * *

  
  


Hours passed with no news. Djinn sat in one of the chairs in the hallway, Lena dozing against her shoulder. Kara sat in the chair at her other side, staring into the distance. Only Maggie was still on the floor, a blanket draped over her shoulders. She refused to move since Djinn brought them here. Djinn was getting worried. 

 

The tall woman had showered and changed her clothes earlier. She couldn't stand the dried blood on her hands anymore. It still caked the edges of her fingernails though, and Djinn couldn’t stop staring at it.

 

Finally, the doors to the med bay opened and a weary Eliza appeared. She looked at the group and gave a small smile. Kara jumped to her feet and held the doctor in a tight hug, almost crushing the woman. Djinn sighed in relief, giving Lena a smile. Maggie still didn’t move.

 

Eliza noticed and broke away from Kara. She crouched in front of Maggie, running her fingers through the detective’s hair. It took a while before Maggie’s eyes focused on Eliza. “I think she’ll be fine,” the woman said softly and watched as those dark eyes filled with tears. She held Maggie as she broke down, crying hard against her neck, her body shaking. Eliza made soothing noises, like only a mother could. It also helped alleviate her own fright.

 

When she felt Maggie calm a little, she looked her in the eyes, “You want to go see her?”  She helped her stand when Maggie nodded. Kara stepped next to her, offering her shoulder to lean on, as Maggie’s bad leg had gone stiff and painful from sitting on the floor. The two walked into the med bay. 

 

Alex lay on the bed, still very pale. Maggie hobbled over to her and gently took Alex’s hand into her own. Kara dragged a chair over so the detective could sit and leaned next to her against the bed. Her eyes scanned her sister’s still form and followed all the machines attached to her. From the tubes to help her breathe and the wires monitoring her heartbeat, to the blood transfusion bags hanging from the railing.

 

Eliza stood in the doorway, gazing at the trio, Djinn and Lena next to her. “When I hooked my daughter up to the heart rate monitor, I noticed something peculiar,” she said. “There was an undercurrent … Some form of shimmering energy I’ve never encountered before … I think it’s what kept her alive.” When she told Winn about her discoveries, the man explained a couple of things about Djinn and they came to the same conclusion. She looked up at her daughter’s saviour, tears gathering in her eyes, “Thank you.” 

 

Djinn looked down at the floor and remembered the moment when she couldn’t find a heartbeat in her friend. She honestly thought Alex had died in her arms. Did she really had anything to do with that? And how? She looked at Lena when she felt her move against her, Green eyes looked up at her in question. Djinn shrugged, having no answers for her just yet.

 

Eliza stepped to her daughters, “We’re keeping her sedated, at least for a couple of days more. Everyone should get some rest. I’m going to inform J’onn.” She hugged Kara and squeezed Maggie’s shoulder and, after giving Alex a long look, she left the room. 

 

“Did you save my sister?” Kara asked suddenly, having picked up on Eliza’s words.

 

“I don’t know,” Djinn spoke the truth, she really didn’t. “I’ve never been able to do that before. I’m not a healer. There haven’t been healers on Baloria in centuries … and even then, I’ve never heard of them bringing back the dead!” She was actually a bit freaked out … relieved, of course, but freaked out.

 

Kara was visibly startled at her words and closed her eyes, listening to the steady beat of Alex’s heart. “I can hear it,” she whispered, “You …. Your energy … It’s still entwined with her heartbeat.” 

 

The group fell silent, all thinking about the implication of this discovery.

 

Kara took a breath, “Eliza was right, we should all get some rest.” She looked at Djinn and Lena, “Why don’t you two head to Alex’s quarters and try to get some sleep. I’m staying here to keep watch.” She was pretty sure Maggie wouldn’t budge either.  

 

Djinn nodded and led Lena out of the room. They walked side by side in silence through the corridors and into the sleeping area. Djinn opened the door and led them inside. When the door closed behind her, she sighed, “I can find somewhere else to sleep, if you’d rather …” 

 

Lena silenced her by sinking back into her arms, “I need you here ... with me … Now … Always.” She looked up into her eyes, “Whether you are Djinn or Seven … Or both.” She reached up and wrapped her fingers in Djinn’s hair, easing her head down. Both women sighed when their lips met.

 

They stayed like that for a while, lips barely moving, both needing the contact. Lena broke away and led them to the bed. She eased Djinn down and settled into her side, her head nestled in Djinn’s neck, humming in contentment when long arms held her close. The two women closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep almost immediately. 

 

* * *

  
  


Six days passed with very little change. They finally managed to drag Maggie away from Alex’s side after finding her passed out in the chair on day two, Eliza threatening to sedate her if she didn’t at least slept a few hours every night. The rest of the days were spent by her girlfriend’s side. Kara was with her most of the time, only disappearing for Supergirl duties once in awhile and to rest, cornered by Eliza with the same threat. The woman even mentioned Kryptonite, to Kara’s horror (Eliza didn’t mean it, but Kara got the point). 

 

Lena went back to work, of course, but came to the DEO several hours a day to spend with her friends, and with Djinn, who was helping the DEO take down the last of CADMUS. Lillian Luthor and Hank Henshaw were still missing, but J’onn was positive they had tracked most of the terrorists down. 

 

On day four, Eliza stopped sedating Alex and removed her breathing tubes, feeling confident that her daughter was strong enough to breathe on her own. Now they just had to wait until she woke up. 

 

It was early on day seven when that finally happened …

Alex drifted to consciousness, fighting to open heavy eyelids. She blinked at the sudden onslaught of light and it took a couple of tries before she could focus on the ceiling above her head. Med bay, she thought, am I alive? She remembered the pain being followed by numbness and cold. She turned her head and spotted Maggie, sitting at her desk thumbing through a file. She tried to move her hand, to reach out to her. It must have made some noise, as Maggie turned, eyes going wide and filling with tears.

 

The detective rushed out of the chair and grabbed hold of Alex’s hand, “Hi …” Her voice was breaking.

 

Alex swallowed, “You look like crap, Sawyer.” She managed to get out in a rough voice, her throat dry and raw. 

 

Maggie smiled through her tears, “I look like crap? Damn girl, you died and came back to me … I’m allowed to look like crap.” She saw Alex’s eyes widen a fraction, before they drooped again, fighting to stay awake. “I’ll explain later … Sleep …  I’ll be right here when you wake up.” Alex gave her a half-smile and her eyes closed. Maggie took a couple of deep breaths, reassuring herself that her girlfriend was alive. Then she stood and left the room, she needed to let the others know of Alex awakening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little epilogue will be next.


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Rebellion_Bear

The reopening of the L-Corp lobby was two months later. 

Lena stood on the stage, inured to the flash of cameras, and took a deep breath. Talking to the press was not her favorite thing in the world, but it was a necessary evil, one she’d gotten quite good at during the years. She glanced at Djinn, who stood behind her, wearing a new black suit. The woman looked radiant, Lena thought, powerful with just a hint of dangerous. Lena knew the papers would be filled with pictures of them, people wondering who this mysterious woman, who never left her side, was. They would figure it out soon enough. She turned her gaze back forward and cleared her throat. The room fell silent.

“Two months ago, our city was victim of a heinous crime.” Lena’s voice was strong, carrying throughout the room. “All of us lost people that day … Family, friends, colleagues … With the reopening of L-Corp, I wanted to make sure they would never be forgotten.” She looked at Supergirl, who stood at the other end of the room and gave a nod. Supergirl levitated to the ceiling and released a knot, causing the tarp to fall. It revealed a beautiful inscripted plaque, that ran floor to ceiling, listing all the names of the people who perished that day, all 378 of them. Kara’s eye fell on the names of the DEO agents who were killed at the base, her sister almost one of them.

“Our gratitude must go to Supergirl and all men and women from the emergency services. Without their hard work, their sacrifice, the toll would be immensely higher.” Lena paused for effect and saw Kara smile at her. “To this day, as several dozens of people are still recuperating, their effort is inspiring. That is why all profit from tonight's benefit will be put in funds to help rebuilding this city, our city.” She finished her speech, smiling at the round of applause. “So please, give freely and enjoy yourselves.” Lena turned and took Djinn’s hand, who helped her step from the stage.

The room filled with the noise of the crowd again as people returned to chatting amongst themselves. Lena knew the press would find her soon. She looked at Djinn, “You sure you want to do this?” 

“Is this what Alex meant when she talked about vultures?” Djinn chuckled when Lena nodded, “Bring them on!” A playful glint in her eyes.

Lena smiled and took Djinn’s hand, pulling her into the room. She would not let go for the rest of the evening ...

 

* * *

 

Maggie came home and found her girlfriend on the couch, buried in files and papers, several boxes of them strewn through the living room. “Hey Danvers … Found a new hobby?” 

Alex looked up and accepted Maggie’s kiss. She closed the file in her lap and placed it on a pile on the floor. “J’onn dropped by. These are all files recovered from Müller.” The DEO found several locations where the man did his experiments and recovered a heap of information and objects. Alex was still not up for active duty, but that didn’t mean she was happily cooped up at home. In fact, Alex was slowly going crazy and was grateful J’onn came up with the idea of her going through the files. “They read like horror novels,” she admitted. 

Maggie frowned and dropped to the couch next to Alex. She motioned at the TV, softly playing in the background. “Saw Lena’s speech?”

”Yeah … It was a good speech. Inspiring.” They’d been invited to the benefit, but Alex still tired quickly and refused to appear weak in public. “Djinn looked quite protective.”

Maggie chuckled, “She looked more than protective … I bet Luthor’s competition are crapping their pants right now.” She looked at Alex, who looked back with tired eyes. “How are you feeling today?”

Alex just shrugged and went into Maggie’s arms with a sigh. She wished she could stop telling Maggie she was tired and worn down, wished she could finally believe things would be alright, like everyone was always telling her.  

“You'll be ok.” Maggie said and Alex felt a tear slip from her closed eyelids.

 

* * *

 

 

Several days later, Djinn walked through the DEO. She didn’t officially work there anymore, as the president didn’t deem it wise. She’d been pardoned for her crimes and now carried the status of ‘refugee on earth’. She did promise that the DEO could always contact her if needed, which,after getting a strange call from Kara, was why she was there. She found J’onn, Winn and Kara in one of the lower hangars of the base, the latter two practically bouncing with excitement around a big, tarp covered object. “What’s up?”

It was J’onn, stoic as ever, who started talking. “We discovered something in an old warehouse Müller used to operate from. I thought you should take a look at it.” He saw Djinn frown and gave the other two a signal. They dropped the tarp.

Djinn’s eyes widened and she gasped when recognising the object. It was badly damaged, caked with dirt and rust. Djinn stumbled forward and placed her hands on the hull of her spaceship, tears in her eyes. 

Kara stepped up next to her. “I know it’s in a bad shape. But maybe you can fix it?”

Djinn nodded, “It will take time … And resources. But I might be able to.”

“You can have both, as long and as much as you need,” J’onn offered. He’d pulled a few strings with the president. It was the least he could do for the woman who saved one of his daughters.

Djinn smiled at them in gratitude. Her eyes fell on Winn, still bouncing like an excited kitten. “Yes, you can help,” she said chuckling when the man jumped, throwing his fist in the air. 

J’onn and Winn started to walk back out of the hangar, Kara behind them. Djinn gave her ship one last pat on the hull, before following them, switching off the lights and locking the door behind her. 

No one noticed the little speck of light coming alive on the ships dashboard …

  
  


The end …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it ... phew ... Hope you all like it. Please let me know :) 
> 
> I'm working on a little origin story for Seven/Djinn. Maybe I'll wite a sequel one day.
> 
> Cheers and hopefully untill the next time!


End file.
